WITCH - The Lost One
by markelsmith866
Summary: *Directly After Season 2* After a switch of powers between Will and Hay-Lin, a discovery and prophecy is clarified by the Oracle(Himerish) that sends Will on a quest of discovery of herself. But out of a desperate attempt to be leader once more, Will chooses the choice that tests friendships, sides, family, and the definition of what is wrong. And what is right.
1. It Begins

**_W.I.T.C.H: The Lost One_**

 **It Begins**

Heatherfield. Just like any other day. Quiet at one point, noisy the next. Even the birds outside were quiet. But Will Vandom's room that same morning was the noisiest inside the two story townhouse, occupied by her mother, father, and little brother. But out of all of them… No one could beat Will's snoring. The vibrating comforter that bore Will's obsession with frogs was evident. Littered with the strange amphibians shrouding her from view. They were all over the place. On the dresser, the floor, and of course the bed, providing a makeshift pillow for a white head with a bunch of red hair. A pair of brown eyes slowly parted open before Will trained them on the digital alarm clock, glowing in the darkness. Five fifty-nine. A minute before Shelly the alarm was scheduled to start screaming in her ear.

After dropping her head back onto the pillow, Will sighed and grumbled, "Shelly, snooze the alarm for me, please." The only sound Will got in response was the rough sound of the alarm as it toggled on and off. Blaring and letting Will know it was time to rise. She groaned and repeated, "Stop being rude and cut off, please… Shelly?" Will propped her head back up and looked up at the alarm clock. Something was up. Why wasn't it cutting off? Let alone responding? Will's tired eyes narrowed at it.

"Will, time to get up!" Her mother yelled from the next room over. Susan sighed and cradled her husband, burying her head of blue hair into Dean's chest.

Sighing, Will reached up and snoozed the clock manually. Then continued staring at it tiredly. Most of the time, thanks to her Quintessence powers Shelly would be telling her exactly what her mother told her. Except in the most annoying and irritating voice possible. Sometimes loud, sometimes a whisper. Either way, it didn't happen this morning. Maybe it was something else? Will shrugged it off with her comforter, it wasn't that big of a deal. Right now, anyway. She placed her feet on the cold floor, frigid with the winter air. It was January. Nineteenth. Her fifteenth birthday. With that bit of knowledge, Will's smile eventually turned into a big grin. "Alright, my birthday," she whispered. "I need a present. Mom, it's my birthday!" She announced, apparently excited.

Susan popped into the room and wrapped Will into a hug almost immediately, squeezing her into her chest. It was so sudden, Will almost electrocuted her. "Ohh, I know~! Happy birthday, sweetheart! Now try not to be too loud, William's still sleeping." Susan pulled away to bend over slightly and kiss her daughter's forehead. Then turned back and walked across the cold floors out of the bedroom.

After vigorously brushing her teeth, taking a bath, grooming and getting dressed, all with excitement Will grabbed the Heart of Kandracar and tucked it under her red sweater. Then made her way out the door and down the steps for the kitchen. Her mother was cooking, but she had no time to sit and eat. "Make it to-go!" She ordered.

Susan looked over her shoulder amused at Will's cocky attitude. Ten minutes later, Will was outside in the thirty degree weather walking the sidewalk, heading for Sheffield Institute while eating some breakfast burritos. The buildings in Heatherfield were tall. Car horns were honking in the distance. Birds were flying overhead as the sun's rays hit her coat, providing no warmth against her skin.

Will took a bite out of one of the burritos, humming in appreciation for the taste and warmth it provided her tongue. "It's some girl's birthdayyyy!" A huge weight was suddenly thrown on her back, nearly forcing Will to the ground face first. Irma's dirty blonde hair cascaded over Will's head when she wrapped her arms around her neck, grinning like a maniac. "Happy Birthday, pink purple pookie pumpkin!"

"Er… thanks?" Irma hopped off Will's back and walked with her for the school. During the time, and after eating her burritos, Will pulled out her phone and stared at it strangely. Irma poked in and asked, "Something wrong with your phone?"

Will flipped it over and answered, "Not sure. This morning… None of my electronics talked to me. You know how I can speak to electronics?"

"How about the TV? Or Radio? They talk a lot." Irma's wink let Will know she was once more being sarcastic.

"Irma, I'm serious. Something's wrong… I can feel it." The two stopped with a few more heading towards Sheffield Institute across the street. Cornelia, Taranee, and Hay-Lin were already there waiting for them on the other side while the cars passed.

Irma stated, "Will we haven't been on a mission in forever. No Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions ready for battle. And there's no problem with the other worlds or else we would have been summoned way before now."

"This is different." Will and Irma walked across the concrete street, heading for the property's entrance where their friends were waiting. Unlike the rest of them, Cornelia seemed to embrace the cold weather by being stylish too. Of course. A hot pink trench coat with a bunch of sparkle, topped off with a stylish toboggan, and probably something else bright underneath it. Irma could definitely tell. That's why she just had to crack one when they reached the other side.

"Like a pink umbrella ready to fly open," Irma joked. "Showering us with candy and blindness."

Taranee giggled from the side while Cornelia huffed through her nose, clearly unamused if the hands on her hips were a clue. Rolling her eyes, Cornelia responded unenthusiastically, "Oh ha ha, laugh it up why don't you." Ignoring them, Cornelia walked towards Will and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Happy fifteenth, birthday girl. We're doing what we did last year, surprising you with a birthday party."

Will rolled her eyes then pried herself from Cornelia's embrace. "No thanks, I'm good."

Hay-Lin shook her head and eagerly skipped forward, wearing the biggest smile she could make that scared Will a little. "No can do, girl! We're throwing you a surprise party!"

"But last year was a surprise party."

"I know. The surprise this time is when and where we're throwing the party. You know we're throwing you a party. Question is… Where and when? It could be in the middle of class, the school—"

Irma bumped in and added, "The bathroom."

"The bathroom?" Will asked awkwardly, "Has that ever happened to you?"

Irma replied with only a deep sigh through her nose and a chill smile before Hay-Lin pushed her away. "Or at your house, Will," she continued.

Will smiled but shook her head. "Thanks, girls. But I'd rather not have a party _this_ time. Seriously."

Irma wrapped an occupied arm around Will's shoulder, letting a small light blue wrapped present poke into her peripheral vision. Countering, "Then at least take the present, jeez. This is from all of us. Sponsored by Cornelia. You'll see what I'm talking about." Will chuckled and took the present while Cornelia and Irma held their little playful spat each other. Just like yesterday. And the day before that.

The gift was about the size of a jewelry box, wrapped in reflective blue and topped off with a tiny bow. She didn't want to just throw the bow so she went ahead and took off the wrapping with it. Just like she guessed, it was a jewelry box. A hot pink Jewelry box. Taranee walked over and pointed at it. "Cornelia just happened to match," she whispered.

Will chuckled and popped it open, gasping in surprise. It was a necklace with a small brass heart shaped pendant. It was small compared to a majority of pendants, but for Will was big enough. Ignoring Cornelia's rant about how calling her Corny all the time, Irma cracked open the heart with a tag on the side, revealing a picture. It was small and Will could barely see it. But she could make out herself and the rest of her friends at the fair last year. Including Elyon and Caleb. Grinning, smiling, and making funny faces. Well all of them except Caleb. He could make a dog look like they were laughing he was so stoic.

Will grinned and pulled Taranee into a hug before the others piled on. "Thanks, girls," she whispered.

"Happy birthday, Will," Cornelia responded. She was the first to pull back and decree, "Now can we go inside, it's cold out here."

"You're wearing a dress underneath that coat aren't you?"

Cornelia shrugged innocently as if it were no big deal. "I always wear something else underneath all these clothes. Now come on, birthday girl!" She grabbed Will's hand and pulled her in. Then tugged her throught the gate and towards the front of the school. "You guys can stay out here and freeze if you prefer, but Will and I are loving the inside warmth."

Realizing that Cornelia may indeed have a point, the rest followed Will and her into the schools. Irma could practically feel drama dripping off the walls, lockers, and definitely the students. Poor Alchemy was doing her best to avoid it based off the fact that Irma saw her duck into the library at the same time they walked into the cafeteria. Their hangout spot before school started They flopped down into their seats and took off their coats. After Hay-Lin took off hers, she reached in her pocket and whipped out her phone that was tossed recklessly on the table. The friends sort of just stopped and looked at it. It was a white smartphone of some sort that had a small crack in the bottom left corner.

Irma nodded at it and inquired, "Phone issues?"

"Phone annoyances," she clarified. "It talked to me this morning."

Cornelia nodded and stated, "Yeah that happens when you make a phone call. You know, when the other person—"

"I haven't made a phone call today," Hay-Lin interrupted. "I woke up and it was all 'Good morning, Hay-Lin'. And I was all, 'My gosh!'"

"Your gosh?" Taranee asked before Hay-Lin shot a crumb at her glasses.

"That's not the only weird thing," Hay-Lin whispered. She looked around and placed her arm in the middle of the cafeteria table with her hand palm-up, fingers spread. Will, sipping from a juice box leaned in and watched with the others. Pink lightning began dancing around her fingers, pulling a gasp out of their mouths. The straw popped out of Will's mouth while she stared in confusion. Quintessence?!

"You have Quintessence?" Taranee whispered. She and everyone else turned to Will and stated, "But that's Will's power!"

Will set the carton aside then slapped her hand down in front of Hay-Lin's, summoning Quintessence. But… nothing happened. She pushed harder, soon grunting. But still nothing. Irma pulled back and glanced at Will. She looked more confused than ever. "Okay," she said slowly. "Yeah I think it's time we made a call to Kandracar customer support."

Will wasn't even listening. Too busy trying to get her powers to work. She began straining, eventually forming a red face before Taranee popped her hand, cutting her concentration. "It's not working right now, Will. We'll talk to the Oracle about it alright?"

Will took a deep breath then subtly nodded with pursed lips and strange eyes. Irma couldn't explain it, but she was getting a strange vibe from this. And not just the power thing either. But also Will's reaction. She either got lost in the moment, or was truly desperate to get her powers to work. It was concerning. Very concerning. So she stashed that bit of information away in the archived region of her mind for later.

Before the bell rang for the school day to begin, the girls decided that they should head to Kandracar during lunch, which lasted thirty minutes. After agreeing, they grabbed their stuff and headed to class. Irma with Will and Taranee, Cornelia with Hay-Lin. Taranee could tell something happened back there with Will. For it to be her birthday she was truly bummed. "Will." She turned her head to face Taranee, who was shooting her that confused expression. "Are you okay?"

"Seriously," Irma added from the left.

"I'll be fine," she answered. "We need to talk to the oracle and get this all straightened out." She chuckled and mumbled, "My birthday just took a wild turn."

Irma smirked. As least she was still the same a little. "I'll say. But if something's wrong, you'll tell us, right?"

She saw Will glance over, then blink her eyes to the classroom once more. "I… I don't know."

"Will—"

"I don't want to talk about it right now, alright?!" Will snapped. That made Irma and Taranee stop while she continued forward into the classroom. "Just… Not right now." Once she was out of view, Taranee and Irma shared a glance. Will was taking this hard. She's not telling anyone, but they could easily read her. The first period was pretty tense. Very tense. Work was handed out, completed, lessons were taught. An hour and thirteen minutes of that then the bell rang and they were off for their own second periods. The only one in that close with her was Taranee.

Once the three were out the classroom doors back into the busy halls filled with teenagers, Will quickly apologized. "Look girls, I didn't mean to snap at you earlier. I just don't want to talk about it." she gripped the strap of her bag tighter.

Rolling her eyes, Irma waved it off and popped her shoulder. "It's alright. Just don't go all crazy on us, alright? I'll see you at lunch." Irma turned and made her way back towards the cafeteria while Taranee had her say.

"Just don't take it too hard. We'll figure it out." She wrapped an arm around Will and led her through the loud halls away from the classroom towards another. Science. Will enjoyed Science subjects. Mainly biology but she's shown Taranee up on several occasions involving the subject. So much so that it made her jealous a little. It was usually the one thing that could make her relax when stressed, which has been happening a lot lately.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

They didn't bother with Astral Drops when they left the cafeteria. It's not like someone's going to point out you skipped lunch. So they all went straight from the cafeteria to the engineering hall in the back of the school. It was widely known across the campus that the staff here takes time off during the entirety of lunch. A great place to open a portal. After looking around, Will opened one of the double steel doors for the room and sneaked in first. The girls followed after, then slowly shut the door behind them. A single saw sat on top of a wooden board while ladders littered the corner. A steel cabinet with one door open held bolts and screws, brightened by the long lights above.

They looked around for reassurance while Will took off the necklace and swiped the air with it, destination for Kandracar on her mind. But nothing happened. Will pulled her arm back and swiped again. Same result. Cornelia stuck her head into Will's peripheral and suggested, "Maybe let Hay-Lin try. She has your power, so…"

Will hummed. She didn't want to. Like _at all_. But the sooner they figured this out, the better. Will held the heart by string to her left, dangling it in front of Hay-Lin's face. Hay-Lin took it like it was gross with two fingers. The Heart seemed to glow brighter when she did, lighting up the room in a pink glow. Everyone else except Will turned to the glowing marble-sized orb in surprise. "Hay-Lin has super Guardian mojo," Irma joked.

"Can we just go already?" They looked to Will who took on a pretty good "Cornelia" expression. Hands on hips with an annoyed face. "I want to figure this out so I don't have to worry about it anymore."

Hay-Lin took the initiative and did what Will did before. Thought of Kandracar, pulled her arm back and swiped the air. A bright white rift similar to a lightning bolt flashed in their faces. Blowing back their hair a little. Cornelia swung her arm around Hay-Lin and cheered, "That's my girl!" The others piled on like—to Will—a bunch of monkeys and delivered congratulations.

"Ugh, come on and stop wasting time. We have things to do." Will stepped through the rift first and onto the stone stairs of the grand floating fortress of Kandracar, surrounded by pink clouds. She looked around, thinking this place was too big. _Way_ too big. Only like ten people stayed here, right? The other girls stepped out of the rift and looked around the quiet fortress for a moment, taking in the silence.

Cornelia placed her hands on her hips and commented, "No TV, radio, nothing. How can they stand this?"

Before anyone could proceed further, Will placed her hand out in front of Hay-Lin, waiting for the Heart. Hay-Lin glanced down at it, then up at its owner who was holding a look of impatience. So she held the Heart up and dropped it in her palm. Will balled her fist around it. Then turned and walked up the stairs, anxiously heading for the Congregation and leaving them behind. Confused eyes on Will, Cornelia leaned over to Hay-Lin and whispered, "So. What was that?"

Hay-Lin shrugged and answered just as timid, "I guess she wanted the Heart back?" Then followed Will up the stairs. She was way ahead of them by now. Meters ahead. By the time they reached her, she was in front of the doors leading to the Congregation, knocking respectfully.

"Enter." Tibor. Had to be Tibor.

Will took the initiative and pushed the door open, granting her and her friends' vision with the grandeur of the Hall. The chamber was high and grand, with stands that curved with the rest of the room on the far side made of white decorative stone. The Council were in their usual places. Luba, Tibor, Yan-Lin, Himerish, all nine of them. Including... Caleb? Cornelia grinned and asked, "And what are _you_ doing here? And is that a beard?"

He was still gorgeous. With his head of messy brown hair, that strange smile on his face. And that beard… which had to go. "I'm in a meeting," he excused. Then looked around and added, "The stink monkey's around here somewhere. Probably lost. Why are you here?"

Will strode into the middle of the hall and answered, "Oracle, we have an issue with our powers."

The oracle stood up and asked, "Please go into more detail."

"Well for one Hay-Lin has Quintessence. And I don't. I think our powers switched."

Tibor's eyebrows raised when he asked, "Switched? How?" The rest of the council started muttering things among each other. Except Caleb who was just watching with his feet kicked up. Cornelia slowly shook her head his way.

The Oracle eyed Will and hummed for a moment, thinking to himself. There was a _possible_ explanation, but the reason was really rare. But if this was an exception, then there was no telling what it meant. He levitated out of his setting and over to the girls. "Step forward, Hay-Lin and Will." The two did as asked and stood in a line in front of the Oracle when he landed. "May I see the Heart please?" Will held it out to him and allowed him to take it. He held it up in front of Will and peered into her eyes through it. It seemed dull and lifeless. Until he moved it over to Hay-Lin. It gradually lit up on the way over until it shone at full brightness. The Oracle lowered the Heart and said, " am sure all of you know about Xin Jing and the Dragons. Correct?"

The Guardians nodded. They remembered Hay-Lin telling them about it for a school play or something in the past. Yan-Lin also held a hand in it. "Well there are a few things left out. Before Xin Jing became the heart with the four Dragons, she was married and had a daughter. She was given the Heart, her mother and became the first Keeper. Once she gained control of the powers, she opened a fold to Kandracar and met the Oracle of that time. The Oracle then told her the powers it possessed, and that she was given the opportunity to split the powers amongst four others."

"They were the first Guardians," Will assumed.

Himerish nodded and answered, "Yes. The first Guardians of Kandracar."

Hay-Lin glanced around awkwardly and asked, "Yes, but what does this have to do with me?"

"As the daughter of the original, no one was as strong as Xin Jing's daughter. Sin Jing. But eventually, Sin Jing raised a family, had children, and they had children. One of those children married another and raised a family in a different name. Lin."

Hay-Lin gasped and asked, "Lin? As in my family?"

With a smile, Himerish nodded and answered, "Yes. Into your very family line. But one of those descendants in your family line became the Keeper. And she was wise. I met her myself, Mia Jing. She was smart. So much so I thought she would replace me as the Oracle. She had a vision that was believed to be a prophecy. In the vision, she saw five girls. All Guardians, during the time a great evil was beginning to take root in the ground. She wrote it down." Himerish clapped his hands together and pulled them apart, levitating a scroll in between them. He grabbed and unrolled it, then began to read it aloud. "'A new evil will begin to take root after one feels lost, alone, and without purpose. They create their own path, creating damage along the way. A new leader will be chosen and abilities switched to prepare for this new evil. The Lost One.' I fear this prophecy may now be coming true."

Taranee raised a hand as if she were in school and asked, "So… Are you saying, Hay-Lin is the new leader? The Keeper of the Heart?"

"I… Am afraid so." Irma glanced to Will, whose expression was unreadable. It was like she was walking down the street heading to the store, focusing on a shopping list. But there was no walking, no shopping list, and there was no checking off items.

After a moment of silence, Will asked, "So, what? I'm… Air now? Because of a prophecy? Has this ever happened to anyone else?"

Himerish shook his head and answered, "No. This is the first instance of a Prophecy made by a Guardian is coming true, as well as a switching of powers. I'm afraid Hay-Lin is now the leader of the Guardians, Will." Himerish held the Heart over to Hay-Lin and placed it in her outstretched hand. Then grabbed her fingers and balled them up around it. "Be careful with it."

Hay-Lin's nod prompted the Oracle to move his hand back and ask, "I hope this doesn't affect any of you negatively."

Cornelia shook her head and said, "No, we're cool with it. Right girls?"

"Yep!"

"Uh huh."

"I can handle it," Hay-Lin added. Everyone turned to Will. Who was no longer there. "Will?" They looked around the Congregation. But she was nowhere. "So.. Where exactly can she go without being noticed in _here_?"

The large doors for the hall closed with bang, forcing everyone to look that way.

Taranee muttered, "Apparently, the door."

Irma rolled her eyes and commented, "Well… Everyone _in_ _here_ is cool with it."

Himerish sighed and ordered, "Watch and look out for Will. This must be really sudden and a little confusing for her."

Irma and Taranee nodded. Then turned around and led the party for the doors. Confusing wasn't exactly the right word for it. Within that time frame, Will had silently walked through the silent fortress back towards the stairs leading to empty air. Hay-Lin was a descendant of a Guardian who was wise enough to predict a prophecy about their powers switching. For an enemy who was "lost". What did that even mean? She couldn't figure it out. Not even while staring out at the sea of nothing at the steps that led up to Kandracar. The sea of clouds was soothing to calm her nerves.

Quintessence had always been her thing. She knew how to use it. How to harness the power and make it her own. Manipulate it into her own thing. Now… It's been transferred over to Hay-Lin. Was that even fair? It sounded like the Heart needed a new leader to defeat an enemy they have yet to discover. A fresh mind. But wasn't she good enough? She always thought she was. Coming up with plans to defeat Phobos and Nerissa. Tracker, Cedric. Miranda. All of that was because of her leadership.

It was like Fadden Hills all over again. Not good enough. "Will?" She didn't even turn around to Irma's voice. "Are you okay?"

"Let's just get home," she answered forcefully. Like she spat the words out of her mouth. "And I'm not talking about it. So… Don't even bother to ask."

The others glanced at each other before Hay-Lin walked over to Will's left to open a fold. Irma took note that Will turned her head to the right so she didn't have to see her. Was she… Jealous? Once it was opened and after Hay-Lin walked through, Will jumped in next and proceeded to walk towards the door to the engineering room before anyone else. And once they did they stopped moving and watched her walk away.

Taranee called, "We're still celebrating your birthday."

Will stopped and stated, "I said I don't want a party. You can throw one all you want, but I'm not going to be there." Then opened the door to the engineering hall and strode out. Leaving the others with a feeling they couldn't comprehend. At least not yet.


	2. Shadow of A Doubt

**Shadow Of A Doubt**

The last thing the Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions needed right now was Will being upset over something like this. They didn't know who rigged her coffee this morning, but they had to talk about it. Once the steel door to the engineering room shut and Will was gone, Irma sighed and decided to ease the tension. She turned to the others and soothed, "Will just needs some time to herself right now. She'll understand that we have bigger things to worry about. Like the fact that an all powerful enemy is growing somewhere."

Taranee nodded in agreement. "I'm surprised Hay-Lin has a powerful Guardian ancestor." The others turned to Hay-Lin who had donned the Heart of kandracar around her neck and tucked it into her shirt. "I'm a little confused as to why Himerish told us that though if it's just about a prophecy," she added.

Cornelia shrugged and made her way for the doors. "I'm more confused as to why Caleb was there. Did you see that _beard_? No wonder Blunk wasn't around, he probably ran away from it." She and the other girls laughed while they filed out of the room. Leaving the issues in the back for now and focused on the present.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Will's thoughts were jumbled. Tumbling around in her mind like a bag of marbles. She could barely focus on where she was going and nearly bumped into another student on the way to class. The bell for the end of lunch was about to ring anyway. She didn't even hear Uriah and his cronies taunt her when she walked past, leaning against the wall and eating an apple. "Hey, _Wilma_ ," he greeted. She continued walking, a single word refusing to hit her ear. "Hey!…" When she didn't respond, Uriah rolled his eyes and threw the apple he was eating, landing a successful shot on the back of her head.

"Ow!" She yelped. Then swiveled around to glare at Uriah and the other two, laughing and congratulating each other at her reaction. At that moment, Will's blood began to boil. Fists curled. She was irked. Will looked down at the Granny Smith Apple he threw lying on the glossy tiled hallway, half eaten and rolling at her feet. She reached down and picked it up, eyeing it in anger. Then pulled her arm back and let it fly. Her control over air decided to kick in, adding way more momentum that actually caused the apple to burst on the side of his head upon impact.

"Ow!" He yelled. His hand shot up and held the spot the apple burst at. _His head must be harder than I thought,_ Will thought before turning around and walking away, continuing with more important matters. Like the fact that her powers switched. The biggest problem of the year. She had no idea how to use air. Only Quintessence. And she bet her money that Hay-Lin had no idea how to use Quintessence. How were they supposed to fight this enemy if they had no idea how to manage these new abilities? Wil shivered when the thought that Hay-Lin would ask for her help crossed her mind. Out of everyone here, Will was the only one that knew how to use it and control it. They both needed each other to utilize these new powers. They depended on each other. Yeah, right.

Will rolled her eyes and walked into her classroom right when the bell for lunch ended. She could figure out how to use Air herself. With just the right amount of alone time and study, she could master it just as fast as she could flying. And she mastered that on the first day. Or was it the second?

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

When Elyon was told that powers were switching in Kandracar, she was startled. And when Caleb backed it up and said that Will seemed off about it, she was… Troubled. Walking through the high stone halls in the Castle of Meridian with her staff, donned in a long grayish-blue gown with her signature ponytails bearing rings on the end. Grayish-blue eyes on the stone floor she walked down with Caleb by her side, discussing what happened in Kandracar. "So how did she react?" She asked once more.

Caleb answered, "Will seemed… A little upset. If you don't count the fact she walked out of the Congregation after the Oracle asked if everyone was alright with it."

"She walked out? That's unlike her," Elyon whispered. They turned down a corridor and stopped to face each other. "I need to speak with the others about this. I'm sure she's not taking this very well right now. Not sure why, but she's obviously not."

"Yeah, good luck. Knowing Will she probably just wants to be by herself for awhile."

"That's never a good idea. She may be a Guardian, but she's still a teenager. Being by yourself causes trouble." Elyon lifted her staff and created a fold. "If anyone asks, I'm on Earth at the moment." Caleb nodded before she jumped into the fold and into the basement of The Silver Dragon. A little while back, they set this place up to look like a hangout spot, just for all of them. There was a small carpet, TV, table for homework. All of it. Including a clock on the far wall at the very top. Elyon looked at it and assessed the time. Three-thirteen. They should be on their way back by now. Hopefully they could clarify a few things. Right on time, the door above opened up and light brightened up the basement after Irma flipped a switch.

"So she didn't show up after school," Cornelia counted off her fingers. "She's obviously upset about her powers. And she didn't show up to fourth period. Oh boy, tomorrow's going to be fun."

Elyone watched them throw their bags in the corner then flop down in the bean bags and couches. Taranee sighed with her head to the ceiling and said, "Well at least we know why she's upset."

"So what are you going to do about it?" The girls all jumped and yelped before focusing in the corner where Elyon was standing, smiling. "Caleb told me Will was a little upset?"

Cornelia waved at her and answered, "Yeah, she was upset. Not like angry, but still upset. You could tell. I'm waiting for her to hold an unknown grudge against Hay-Lin for some reason."

"So a new mission?" Elyon placed her staff in a corner then got into a running start to jump on top of Cornelia.

She grunted underneath her and answered, "Yeah, something about—you're getting heavy, stop eating so much." Elyon scoffed and slapped her shoulder. Then rolled off into the empty space between her and Taranee, pulling the former into a hug. "Something about a person falling into darkness and being extremely powerful. Thing is, we won't know anything until it does happen. Which could be days, or weeks from now on average."

Taranee grabbed her phone to text Will one more time. "So the only problem we have right now is Will. Who is upset about maybe three things: Losing her Quintessence powers to Hay-Lin, being Air now, or… Feeling replaced."

Intrigued, Hay-Lin turned to her and repeated, "Replaced?"

"Yeah. The one who has Quintessence is the leader. They join the aurameres, they create the Guardians, they bark the orders. That's Will's thing. Ever since we met her, she's been the take charge kind of girl. So for her title to be suddenly passed over to you without any warning whatsoever, I understand it would make her upset. I see it happening actually."

Irma sat up from the carpet and argued, "Yeah, but I would be _sad_ about it. Will seemed… Mad. Not Upset as in sad, but upset as in _mad_. Angry."

"So is that why she's not texting me back?" Cornelia opened her phone and checked her messages. Same with the other girls. No response.

Taranee huffed and answered, "Maybe. Or it could be something else. Hopefully tomorrow will be better."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Everything in the Vandom house was set. Cake in the center of the decorated kitchen table donned with fifteen lit candles. A present next to it. And her family waiting for her to walk in. Susan raised her hand and counted down from three. At one, the door jiggled. And at zero, it flew open and Will strode in.

"Surprise! Happy Birthday!" Susan and Dean cheered. William only cheered and banged his little hands on the table. But instead of a jump, scream, or even a scolding, Will walked past the kitchen doorway and straight up the stairs. Susan glanced at Dean who glanced right back. Then called, "Will?"

The only response she received was a thud and the door slamming shut. Then a bunch of silence. After she walked in the room, Will turned around and flopped onto the bed by her back, nonchalant expression to the ceiling. Those thoughts just won't leave. They never do. She was a good leader. A **great** leader. Right? _Then why'd they give the position to Hay-Lin?_ "Because she was… Chosen," Will answered aloud. "But am I not good enough?" _No. They wanted a Descendant of the Greatest Guardian. You were just a temp._

Will grabbed one of the many green frogs on her bed and pulled it to her chest. "Like they used me," she whispered. "I'm the one that did a majority of organizing efforts to save Kandracar, Meridian, The Fast World, all of them. Yet… At a moment's notice, I'm replaced." After a moment of silence, Will narrowed her eyes and whispered, "This isn't like Fadden Hills. This is **worse!** " She shouted suddenly. At the same time, the air around her pulsed like a small bomb, sending pillows, her bag, shoes, anything in a five foot radius flying out and hitting the walls. Susan and Dean downstairs jumped from the sudden shaking of the home.

After a few seconds, Will slowly sat up and looked around. Pretty much everything was trashed. Thankfully the window stayed intact. But there was a slight crack in the corner of it from a textbook. It gave her an idea. Humming for a moment, Will stood up from her bed and raised her palm to the ceiling, away from her body. Then, just like when she had Quintessence before it was taken, focused. The air in the room shifted. Soon picking up papers, pencils and even a shoe around her, creating a very small tornado. Using her other hand she raised it high overhead and began to lower it, compressing the air.

The end result was a small ball spinning over her right hand, gray from the dust it gathered. It was good. It was fun. But it wasn't Quintessence. The smile Will held dropped, along with what she was doing, calming the room once more. Air was good, but Quintessence was better. She needed Quintessence. She needed the Heart of Kandracar.

A knock on the door knocked her back into the real world. It startled her enought to make her jump. Susan was leaning on the door from the other side, listening. She was pretty sure Will was trashing things in there. "Will?" She asked. "Are you okay? Should I come in?" Will blinked then looked at the room around her. She really shouldn't. Like, ever. Again. "I'm coming in." Before Will could protest, Susan opened the door and walked into her daughter's room. Sure enough like she expected, everything was everywhere. Even the posters of frogs on the wall were ripped off and on the floor. And her books were out and about, some ripped open.

Susan sighed loudly and shut the door behind her, focusing on the one person responsible. Will was standing in the middle of if with her back towards the door, arms crossed with her eyes to the floor. Unlike in the past, there were no tears. Just raw anger. Susan could just feel the heat of it simmering off of her. "Wanna talk about it?"

"No!" Will yelled. Then took her foot and kicked a random textbook to the wall. "I'm tired of 'talking about it.' There's nothing wrong to talk about." Susan glanced around the room awkwardly. It sure looked like there was at least _something_ to talk about. Groaning loudly, Will flopped down on her bed and buried her face in her hands. But she didn't cry. She always tried to be the strongest.

Susan could tell that whatever happened, it hurt her. But she wasn't letting it show. She walked towards the bed and sat down next to her. Then calmly laid her hand on her back to rub it, providing a soothing sensation. "You know I'm not going to leave unless you at least give me a clue about whatever happened today," she whispered.

Will sighed and clasped her hands together in her lap. Then turned her head to face the window. After a few moments of silence, Will asked almost inaudibly, "Am I… Not enough? Like I try so hard to do what I'm supposed to do, but… I feel like I'm underappreciated. Like… I… No matter what I do, I feel like I messed up somehow. _Some people_ make me feel like I messed up."

Susan reached down and grabbed Will's hand tightly. Answering honestly, "As long as you do your hardest, and you know you did it, then it's okay. It may not look good now, but I assure you when someone hears how much work and effort you put into it they will be amazed. That's enough to raise your character. You're a good girl, Will. Don't let those thoughts tell you otherwise, okay? Promise me you won't do anything drastic."

"I…" Will glanced at her mother and told her the truth. "I… Can't promise that, mom. I'm sorry but I can't—"

"Shhh…" Susan grabbed her arm and lightly pulled her into a hug, letting her cry in her shoulder. Whatever happened was definitely small. But it was enough to bring back old wounds. From Fadden Hills.


	3. Tense Relationships

**Tense Relationships**

Taranee could tell they all had to be on their toes around Will. Especially when she wouldn't respond to any of their texts the next morning when they plopped down in their seats in the noisy and loud school cafeteria. Just like usual it smelled of burned pizza and all types of perfumes and colognes. Today Cornelia wanted to be fashionable again, but decided to be warm instead. It was freezing outside. Just one of the many perks for living a mile from the beach.

After unwrapping the scarf from around her neck, Taranee wrapped it up and stuffed it in her bag. "Hopefully Will's better this morning," she started. Then looked up to the others and added, "But just to be safe, let's try to avoid anything involving The Heart of Kandracar, the Congregation, Infinite Dimensions, all of it. Let's talk about normal kid stuff."

Smirking, Cornelia leaned on her hand and teased, "Yeah, like the lamest new comic, TV show, or the fact that no one is throwing a party anytime soon until February. It's January."

Hay-Lin took a bite out of a cinnamon roll she brought with her and suggested, "I heard the Kramers are doing something early by the end of this month."

Irma scoffed and snarled, "The Kramers are a bunch of snobs."

"You still go to their parties though."

"I know. But that doesn't change the fact they're a bunch of snobs." The girls erupted into laughter before Will unceremoniously dropped down into the seat right next to Irma. She jumped and looked around. Where did she come from? Ignoring it, she looked at Will and grimaced. "Oh!... Uh… H-hey, Will. You look… nice."

Will had major baggage going on under those eyes. So much that the area there had darkened a little. And she didn't even bother to put on any makeup. Her coat had seen better days, especially from being cut in the shoulder and having coffee spilled on it. Something she didn't even bother to take off when she sat down. At Irma's compliment, she glanced up with an uneasy expression and locked eyes with her. But didn't answer, making Irma feel uneasy enough to glance at the others for help to avoid it.

"S-So a possible Kramer party?" Hay-Lin asked. Will's eyes when they locked on her made Hay-Lin shiver. They looked cold. And lifeless. Things just became really awkward when she sat down.

Will groaned, "I know what you guys are trying to do."

"What are you talking about, Will?" Irma asked.

"None of you are even going to talk about what happened yesterday because you think I'm dangerous or whatever."

"No we're not," Taranee lied.

"Oh yeah? Then why haven't _you_ asked if I was okay? You have always done it, what's different now? Irma hasn't cracked a joke yet and it's been a few seconds. And it's just killing Cornelia she can't talk about these bags under my eyes."

Cornelia dropped her arms and yelled, "You're right! I can't take it! Will? Those bags aren't even accepted at an airport, you can't go anywhere with those!"

Taranee huffed and admitted, "Okay, fine. Look, we just don't want to set you off. What happened yesterday is just hurting you right now. We can easily tell."

"I'm fine," she spat out. "I just need to get ahold of everything."

Irma stated, "It's always good to talk about things like this so we don't explode. You need to tell us why exactly you're upset so we can—"

"I'll get over it on my own!" Will loudly interrupted. She reached down and grabbed her bag. Then stood up and made her way out of the cafeteria aggressively. The girls watched her nearly bump into a student then duck around a corner out of sight.

Turning back to the table, Taranee shook her head and admitted, "She's stubborn."

Cornelia waved towards the door and added, "Will just doesn't like change. She's a big girl, she'll get over it. Now I'm hungry. So give me your Burrito, Irma."

"I don't have a Burrito."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

When the Oracle thinks deeply, he settles inside of his study in a separate room connected to the Congregation hall. It was nice and cozy. Filled with books, made out of bricks, had a single large desk on the far side across from the fireplace. No lights were needed at this moment for him. Sitting behind the desk with his hands clasped together, watching the flames dance across. A lot was making him anxious at this hour. At this extreme time of need. The Council, the worlds. But a single person was sticking out in his mind like the color yellow on a black canvas.

Will. Wilhelmina Vandom. Raising his hand, Himerish conjured a large blue sphere that seemed like it was made out of water. An image was created inside of a small short redheaded girl in her room. Will's memories. After Yesterday's events, his mind held a bad feeling. It tempted him into going into the record of Will Vandom by going through her past and memories. What he found… Disturbed him somewhat. Will was a very active child. And just like any child, got into trouble when she made a mistake, had fun with things. Friends. All of that life.

But it slowly came to an unfortunate halt. Her mother Susan and her father Tom had gotten into a falling out. Will was really young at the time. Around maybe nine or ten. The parents fought, they bickered. Sometimes things grew physical. Until eventually they got into a divorce. Which led into a child custody case. Both of them had good paying jobs and could equally support the child. Dragging out the case. And Will began to notice it. Himerish witnessed Will's observations change her. Slowly at first, but then drastically. Then things became even more troubling. Will began asking questions to her mother whenever Thomas wasn't around. But one of them stuck out in Himerish's mind more than anything. One night after another court hearing and before Susan could go to bed, Will approached her downstairs in the kitchen and witnessed Susan packing up her things from work. Both of them were in Fadden Hills. A more than stable place to live.

Will stood in the doorway wearing some Frog themed pajamas, holding a stuffed frog to her chest, eyeing her mother's frantic movements. Susan stopped packing and looked her way. "Hey, Little Wings," she greeted. "What are you doing up?"

Will shook her head and answered, "I couldn't sleep. Can I ask you something?"

Susan sat back in her chair and gestured for Will to come closer. Then grabbed her armss and asked, "What is it?"

"Are you and dad fighting… Because of me?"

Susan and Himerish when he watched this both knew for a fact that it technically was. But the way she asked it implied something else. Susan immediately answered, "No, sweetheart. We… We…" Susan couldn't come up with a good response to that question. The truth was that it was indeed about her. Susan sighed and settled with, "It's not about you. You're not the reason we're splitting up. I promise."

"I feel like it is," Will whispered before a small tear escaped her eye. Susan quickly pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek.

"It's not, okay? You're a good girl and you're not the reason we're splitting up, alright? I promise."

That may have been true. But Will's mentality that it was her fault stayed in her head. From that point on, Will began on a downward slope. Each time her parents went to court, Will stayed by herself, trying to keep her mind off of the fact that her parents were in court fighting. Over her. Silently scolding herself. After awhile, Susan finally took notice that the words in the past had no clear affect and even told her father. They agreed to tone down the fighting at least around Will. But the damage had been done. Will soon dropped into a deep depression. Telling herself that everything was her fault. Then it became evident. She stopped eating, talking, going outside with her old friends who soon noticed her behavior and tried talking to her themselves. It never worked. Then after that, it got violent.

Will lashed out at her parents, broke things sometimes. Even got into fights at school that resulted into suspensions and nearly an expulsion. With no good explanation.

Eventually, her parents took her to a therapist. After a few weeks of that, they learned that Will had been diagnosed with depression. A very strong one that they called Bipolar Depression. After losing the battle that put Will in the hospital for a week, the Therapist was able to speak with her parents about what Will had been telling her during their sessions. Will had been trying to find a way to keep her parents together by doing things in school involving arts, skills, and more. Thus a reason why her grades were good, but her mood was below average. She would organize, plan, and make them happen. But when things didn't go as planned or something unexpected came up, she would get very upset. So teachers and more would make her "second best." Or the Vice-side of things. If the current leader couldn't make something happen, it would fall on Will's shoulders to make it happen. She didn't like that either. She enjoyed being the first. Truly relished in it. It made her feel wanted. Like she belonged.

A good example would be during a play cast in elementary. One that Will setup and created. Will admitted that she was beyond excited to have them witness her creation. Something she loved to do. Make something happen, and be noticed for it. She loves attention. But soon, all of it came crashing down right before she ended up in the hospital. They made her be second. Out of the blue because someone else had a great record of performance, they bumped Will down. And she blew up. Beyond upset. Everything she worked hard to achieve was flushed down the toilet. And thanks to her depression, Will nearly committed suicide two days later.

While Will was in the hospital, the judge finally decided that Susan Vandom gain custody of Will, who had made plans of leaving town to a new city for her daughter's sake after getting a new job. They agreed that it was an excellent idea. Fadden Hills just held too many bad memories. After Will got out of the hospital, she and her mother packed up and made the move a week and a half later. Straight to Heatherfield. Afterwards, things began looking up. So much that Will just stopped taking her medicine. Every now and then she would have her lash outs, but Susan was quick to act by keeping Will's medicine topped up. But things still weren't at their best. Susan and a therapist believed the best way to make sure things like what happened in Fadden never happened in Heatherfield was to keep her busy. Give her something to do.

Thankfully during the search, Will and the friends she made here became Guardians. Right on time. That gave her more than plenty. And provided her with happiness. Yes, things seemed bleak at times, but Will was able to keep her mind on the positive because her friends were around. Ironically, Phobos and Nerissa's grudges were keeping Will happy. All of their little schemes were making her smile. And her friends happy.

But now… She was back where they started in Fadden. Being second best. Hay-Lin was now the leader. For a very important mission that was soon to begin. And it was obvious Will's depression was coming back when she was lowered a rank, and the medicine wasn't working if her current physical state was anything to go by. It happened in exactly the same way in Fadden. She woke up one morning and without warning, everything changed. She couldn't handle it.

Himerish conjured an orb that focused on Will directly, currently at school, sitting in the library reading some sort of book. When Will was in Fadden, she would usually get in outbreaks at least a few hours after it happened.

Tomorrow, if she doesn't talk will make it _three days_ of holding back all that anger. Frustration. And when it releases, it will be disastrous. Very. Whether to herself, her parents, anyone around her really. Worst case, Hay-Lin. Will would more than likely blame her because she was the source of everything in a way. They may be guardians, but they were still children. And Will was out of control. Himerish had to make a decision before it was too late. Will needed to be talked to about this so she can accept this new change. Or have her Guardianship reinstated.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

With the mentality of her friends pitying her, Will left the cafeteria. She hated that. Pity. Pity was for people who couldn't handle real life situations. _But isn't that what you're doing?_ Will shook her head and walked into the nearby library. The only person at the moment that she could see was Alchemy sitting at a table reading a book. Will liked reading. At first she came in here because she needed to get away. But now she wanted to read. The library was spacious. The floor decorated with patterned carpet. Spanned with a high ceiling and walls, littered with so many aisles of books that Will didn't know where to start. Topped off with vacant clean wooden tables just begging for her to relax.

"Will?" She looked up at Alchemy who was looking her up and down concerned from the book she was reading. She set it down and quickly made her way over. "Jeez, what happened to you? Are you alright?"

Will slapped her hand away before it could reach her face. "I'm fine, stop it," she rudely answered. Then walked away before Alchemy could ask anymore questions. She really hated that. Along the way through an aisle while feeling Alchemy's eyes peering into the back of her head, Will spotted an interesting book on one of the shelves. Something that seemed promising. She stopped and turned to face the spine, reading "The Truth of Air: The Ruler of all Elements". Ruler? That was interesting. Will grabbed the book by its spine and pulled it out of its place. The cover was of a near-cloudless sky with a small plane in the upper-right corner. There was a hint of green grass in the lower-right corner. This shot was taken from the ground. That wasn't important.

Will flipped the book open to a random page and looked it over for a moment. Reading an excerpt. This one was really interesting. The first line she read was, "A lot of people don't realize this, but air is the primal element in the entire world." That was enough to make her smile. She needed to keep that information for later. Will tucked the book underneath her arm and browsed a little bit more. She had a few more minutes before the bell rang. By the time it did, Will walked out with a book on the elements of nature, and the one she first picked up. The librarian looked at her like she was crazy, but Will really didn't care what the old lady at the front thought of her looks. She had some studying to do. The bell ringing brought her back to reality. She reached up to her hair and smoothened it back as far as she could, trying to look as good as possible with her current state. It wasn't much, but it was enough for her to start making her way to class. Her father would be keeping a close eye on her. And if she missed a class, he'd tell someone. It'd be a huge deal.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Irma thought it was a good idea. So did Taranee and Hay-Lin. Cornelia flat out stated "No" when school let out and they all met up at Will's locker before they left. Irma proposed that if they all practiced their powers together that Will may be able to realize being air isn't as bad as she thinks. While the others nodded, Cornelia answered, "No way. Will practicing with Hay-Lin—no offense—is a _really_ bad idea. She's already upset. Now when Will sees Hay-Lin using her power she's going to get really upset."

Irma pointed at her and replied, "Exactly. We need her to get mad so she can start yelling and get all of it out. We need her getting more upset so she can finally release it."

"But what if she releases something we don't want to hear or whatever?"

"Then we'll deal with it. This is what we do as friends." Irma looked over Cornelia's shoulder and shouted, "Hey, Will!" Will was walking down the hallway with her hands occupied, holding a book she was reading downwards. Taranee couldn't see the title, but it must've been really good if Will wasn't even looking up when Irma shouted her name for the entire school to hear. She walked past them a little before Irma lightly tapped her shoulder. Will finally looked up and narrowed her eyes a little. If you couldn't tell by now, she was clearly not in a good mood.

"What?" She grumbled.

Irma leaned in and whispered, "We're going to the caves to practice our powers. Wanna come?"

The caves were an abandoned residency by Sheffield Beach that was about to be torn down in the future, leaving it completely lifeless. It was replaced by the actual homes by Sheffield Beach that held an actual cave by it that the Guardians used in the past. But now that beach was always busy, so they had to relocate it. Will shook her head then continued walking. "I have… reading to do," Will responded. Before she could go, Taranee reached out and grabbed her hand. "HEY!" Will took her other and slapped it off.

"You're not really going to do any reading are you?" Taranee inquired.

"It's none of your concern," Will attacked, pretty much spitting on Taranee. She yanked her arm away then continued with her movements towards the front door, leaving the girls standing their surprised.

Once she was out of sight and earshot, Cornelia muttered in a stunned voice, "Well… That was different."

"That was very concerning," Hay-Lin corrected.

Irma and Taranee shared a look. They needed to do something about this. And soon. They had a feeling they were losing their friend. And they were.


	4. Internal Issues

**Internal Issues**

 _This is a good book,_ was the thought that rushed into Will's mind later that evening in her room. The sun was high and it was the afternoon. While she was supposed to be doing her homework, Will indulged in one of the books she checked out at the school library, brightened by the evening sun's rays. The one about the air entirely. She already knew enough about chemical compounds and such from the Chemistry textbook she had checked out, and the biology textbook she's had for years. _This_ book was giving her ideas she never knew were possible. Will was positive this book was neglected by plenty of students. But for those that had a purpose to read it… A purpose. Will had none now. She was still a Guardian. But it wasn't for her anymore.

Sinking deep into those thoughts, Will grabbed a pencil and placed it on the page about how the air's molecules make up the entire planet's atmosphere and closed the book. The Guardians were cool and all. They did a lot to protect the citizens of each world. But that was in the past. They haven't done anything in a long time. Not even visit the dimensions because there was no reason to. Elyon and Caleb would come here. But besides that, nothing else. Will was supposed to have a purpose. Not sit on her butt and watch how things turn out. There was an evil villain on the rise and instead of pursuing it, they have to _wait._ They're pretty much waiting for someone to get hurt first before making a decision. They already knew something was going to happen. But they didn't know what. Instead they were in here pitying her because of her thoughts and whatever the heck else they thought was wrong with her. They needed to focus on something else.

 _You're without a purpose,_ that nagging feminine voice said in her head. _You long for attention. And to be useful so you'll never be abandoned. You were always meant to be a leader._ Will knew they were right, whoever they were. It sounded like herself. But that didn't make any sense. _Nor does anything else._

Will sighed and stood up from her chair to make way for the middle of the room. Along the way she glanced at herself in the mirror on the bedroom door. Jeez, she looked even worse than this morning. That medicine probably isn't working. Will also made a mental note she needed a haircut. Brushing those thoughts aside, Will stood up straight in the middle of the room, feet pressed together and held her palms upwards from both sides of her waist, feeling the air around her. If her theory was correct, this would be her most powerful move yet. And the first one she's ever made since turning into the air guardian. If the air around her took up ninety percent of the space around her, then that meant she was just in a very big bubble of matter. And if she could manipulate it enough… She could do so much more than wind bursts.

Focusing on the air around her with close eyes, she cast the first attempt. Very simple really. She just shifted a sheet of paper into the air way above her head like she threw it as a test subject. Then cast her very important one. The sheet of paper began to flutter to the ground. Before it stopped and froze in mid air. Even the sound of cars outside ceased from reaching Will's ears. Slowly, she fluttered her eyes open and locked on the sheet. The look she held of nonchalance slowly turned into a smile. The paper was suspended as if it were in time. If the air around her was only matter like an object that she had complete control over, then that meant she had complete control over all of the material inside of it. As if it were a sandpit filled with dirt, the objects in it were her play things. Just to reinforce this fact, Will slowly moved her fingers, manipulating the air around the sheet. It moved like a snake in front of her face. Balled up and unfolded. And soon after a few minutes, Will mastered turning it into a paper airplane. She pushed it away from her then lowered her hands, releasing the air from her hold. The airplane floated to the ground right by the door and slid into it. Time for another test. This skill was like using very big fingers and hands. As simple as using her own hands and fingers.

Before Will could attempt it, she heard the door downstairs open up and her mother's voice. "Will? You okay?" It looks like her mom and her little brother were home.

Will sighed and lowered her hands. Perhaps another day. "Yeah, I'm fine," she responded timidly.

Susan made her way up the darkened carpeted stairs to Will's room, William on her hip. Then quickly stuck her head through the door and sighed in relief inside her mind. Will was just doing homework and a paper airplane was right by the door. Normal. She still didn't look too good, but hopefully, they'd figure something out. "How was school?" Susan asked.

Will sighed and responded honestly, "I don't want to go back tomorrow."

"Would you like your father to take you? I don't want to pressure you into anything if you feel uncomfortable."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

The halls in the school were quiet after all the students finally left, leaving the teachers to finish their lesson plans. Dean's lesson plans were already completed for the entire semester, leaving him with no real reason to be there. But he needed information. Dean never poked around in his step daughter's files. But after Susan came clean and told him that Will had Bipolar Depression, as well as told him the story about where it came from, Dean took it upon himself to look up any extracurricular activities she may be involved in. It was easy to go through Will's school records since he was the staff, as well as her teacher. And what he found was…

Nothing. Will had never enrolled in any extracurricular activities here at Sheffield before. None after school or even on break. Year-round, nothing. He needed to get in contact with her teachers.

Someone with click-clacking shoes stepped into his room, catching his attention. Principal Knickerbocker walked in with a paper of some sort. "Dean, you have a new student coming in tomorrow named Melissa. She just moved here from New Jersey and is starting her first day of classes tomorrow morning. Thought I'd catch you before you left."

He took the sheet she was presenting and looked them over. She looked normal. But many of them did. He nodded and responded, "Thank you, Principal Knickerbocker."

"You're welcome. How are things at home?" She grabbed a nearby chair from behind a vacant vanilla colored desk and pulled it over to take a seat.

Dean sighed and answered, "Well… Not good. Will's going through something and I'm trying to figure it out. Her mother and I. I think it's school issues, but from what I see her grades are doing good in all of her classes, and she doesn't have any extracurricular activities. Then her life mostly stops there. There's no other place to go. We tried sitting her down and talking to her, but she won't answer. She has Bipolar Depression so she mostly lashes out when she gets upset or stressed. But according to Susan it hasn't happened in a while. This is the first instance that Will had to get back on her medicine in four years. Her mother and I aren't fighting so it can't be that. She's avoiding her friends from what I see, so it may have something to do with that. But I won't know unless I ask them, and they usually jet out before I can. So unfortunately…" Dean sighed and admitted, "I'm in a rut."

Knickerbocker leaned over and asked, "Maybe she's doing some outside of school activities you don't know about?"

"We would know about it by now," Dean answered.

"Just consider the fact that she may be doing something she shouldn't be. Some children do and it shows. I've seen it plenty of times out of the forty-six years I've been working here. Just keep a close eye on her. Things happen." She patted Dean's hand then put the chair back and walked out. Leaving that thought in his head. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Will may in fact be doing something outside of school she shouldn't be and it's affecting her. He needed to know soon.

But first he had to get out of here. It was getting late and dinner was at the house. As well as his family he had to look out for.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Just like last night, Will couldn't sleep. Maybe the ceiling was really interesting. The moon shining through the window's light blue curtains. Or it may be that voice in her head like a drug. The frogs around her and under the covers plastered on her pink pajamas weren't even paid attention to. It was beginning to make sense, the voice was, which was later verified to be hers when it talked about her past. _You deserved that place,_ it said. _You deserved to be put up there on that pedestal. To be seen and applauded for. You've done too much, been through too much to not have a purpose. You know it, Fadden knows it. The Oracle definitely knows it. You're a focused person._

"I am," Will silently admitted to herself. "I deserve that."

 _Why not prove to the Oracle that the prophecy was a dud? And that the power-switch was just a glitch?_ Will shrugged. That wouldn't work. Not at all. She needed a better plan to prove to them that she was the one who they mistook Hay-Lin for. _Why not take the Heart?_ Will froze when that thought crossed her mind. There was no way she just thought that.

She shook her head and whispered, "No, I would never do that. I'm not addicted to a rock that much."

 _But it would show them you're much stronger than they anticipated. That you were meant for that Heart. For that attention._ Will rolled eyes then closed them. _You are a leader. Take what you worked so hard to deserve_.

While Will was having a conversation with herself in one room, her parents were getting ready for bed in the other. Dean took off his shirt and threw it to the side on the carpeted floor, next to the wooden dresser of pictures of their family. In the past and present. The only light lit was the lamp on his side of the bed while Susan's was off, tuckered under the thick gray comforter covering their padded Queen sized bed. Groaning, Susan mumbled, "When are you going to just put that in the clothes basket?"

"Er…" Dean didn't answer, instead climbed into bed. Susan rolled her eyes and got comfortable one more time before Dean said, "So I spoke to Principal Knickerbocker before I left. She told me something about Will that may make more sense than anything else."

"Yeah?" Susan mumbled into the pillow. "And what would that be?"

"Will may be doing something she's not supposed to and it may be affecting her. Now before you hit me with that pillow, you have to remember. Will's still a teenager. They do dumb things like that. So for Will to do it too isn't really a surprise and it may have triggered her Depression."

Susan lowered the sleeping pillow she was gripping and preparing to throw back to the bed and sat up straight, tired eyes on the bedroom door for Will's room. She stared at it and thought about what Dean said. That _did_ in fact make a lot more sense. Will hasn't enrolled in any activities that Susan knows about. So for her to enroll in something she _doesn't_ know about would be the next obvious question. What is will doing outside of school? Shrugging, Susan replied, "Okay, yeah. That does make sense. A little. But Will wouldn't go as far as to do anything illegal, would she?"

Dean shook his head and answered, "Probably not. Will's a good kid. Maybe it's something she doesn't want to talk about. A good instance would be Will's dating a girl. And she's afraid that she would disappoint us, cause us to fight, and have what happened in Fadden happen again between us."

Susan gasped and whispered urgently, "Are you saying Will could just be gay?"

Dean shrugged and answered, "Anything could happen. I'm just saying be prepared for an explanation about something we don't know about. I'm thinking of asking her about it before this escalates. But I want to ask her friends a few questions first."

Susan nodded and lied back down while Dean cut the lights. After a peck on the cheek, he wrapped his arms around his wife and soon drifted off to sleep, snuggling her. While he slept, Susan stayed up a little, eyes on the door and the movement happening underneath Will's. It wasn't entirely in view, but it was visible enough to catch her eye. Thanks to the moonlight, she could make out Will's movements through her shadow. It looked like she was pacing. Contemplating on a decision. But what decision?

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

When the Oracle told the decisions and news to the rest of the Congregation, they were beyond shocked. Especially Elyon, Kadma, Halinor, and Cassidy. Cassidy was the most shocked. Exclaiming, "Will has anger issues? I've never witnessed it."

Elyon shook her head and added, "I couldn't even tell."

The Oracle nodded and took a seat in his own by Elyon. "Yes," he admitted. "Will has a depression that causes her to react in anger. The origins I will not tell you, but I can say they were messy. And very sad. Ironically when she became a Guardian, her anger was controlled. But thanks to the sudden-power switch, it's back and taking over Will's mind. Like a gallon of water slowly being filled to the brim. She's angry and upset. And I fear she may in fact harm one of the other guardians to the extreme."

Cassidy, Elyon, Tibor, Kadma, and Halinor all denied that at once. Shaking their hands, waving arms to the side. Elyon boldly denied, "Oracle, I don't think Will would be the one to hurt another Guardian."

Himerish looked her way and replied, "I am aware _Will_ wouldn't. But right now, Will is drowning deep into a depression that she is unknowingly anxious to get out of. And to appease her desire… She would do anything. If she doesn't talk about it or find a way, she is in danger of hurting a person she loves or even herself. So I am stuck with two choices at the moment. Have Will expul her anger and continue being a Guardian… Or I have to reinstate her Guardianship if she does in fact hurt one of the others. I really regret saying this, but we do not need another Nerissa."

Elyon squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip. There's no way Will would do that. Right? "I'll let the girls know on their way to school tomorrow before Will shows up," she informed them. "Hopefully they can figure something out before it's too late."

Unbeknownst to all of them, when Will's alarm clock went off the next morning, that was the same time Will lost the battle. She reached up and slammed the snooze on the clock. With tired red and baggy eyes to the ceiling, she gripped the covers and swung them off her body and onto the carpeted floor. She barely slept last night. A measly two hours. She needed rest. She needed relief.

 _You need the Heart of Kandracar._ Will groaned and snarled through her teeth, "I. Don't. Need it." She sat up and swiveled her legs over the left side of the bed, eyes to the floor. She clasped her hands together and began molding her palms.

 _You need to soothe the feeling of power around your neck. At a moment's glance, you have the main stage once again._ "I DON'T NEED IT!" Will yelled. Susan and Dean both jolted in the bed and stayed still for a moment. Glancing around. What the heck was that? "I DON'T NEED THE STUPID HEART!"

"Oh god," Susan whispered. She quickly threw off the covers and jumped out of bed. Then ran towards Will's room before something glass broke inside while Dean hopped out his own side. She was going through a crisis.

Susan witnessed Will throw a textbook to the wall behind her and yell, "STOP TELLING ME TO GO AFTER IT, I WON'T!"

"Will? Will, put it down." Susan grabbed the stuffed frog Will was about to rip apart out of her hands then wrapped her arms tight around her torso from behind, pinning Will's arms to her body. "Stop fighting, stop fighting, it's okay."

"NO, LET ME GO!" Will tried to fight and kick Susan's legs before Susan tackled her to the carpeted floor, right on their sides. "LET ME GO, YOU BITCH!" Despite Will's violent struggles and concerning choice of words Susan kept her arms around her so she could calm down. "I'LL...I'LL…"

Susah calmly shushed her and whispered, "It's okay, Little Wings. Mommy's here, it's okay." Will's kicks soon changed into just shuffles and movements. Then the reality of what just happened set in. Will broke down. She burst into tears, crying with William in the next room. Susan slowly released Will from her hold, letting her cry into the carpet. Then stood up and gently pulled her sobbing form into a tight hug. Will buried her head in her chest and let the tears wet her nightgown. Pouring out her sorrow.

Susan placed her chin on top of Will's head and rubbed her back. She pulled in her lips and silently cried with her. Oh how she hated when this happened. Will just had an episode. And she just woke up. "Oh god," she whispered. "You're not going to school today."

With her face still buried, Will cried, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry, I disa—"

"Don't you dare say it, you didn't," Susan interrupted. She pulled back and planted three kisses on Will's forehead. Then gripped her cheeks and peered into Will's brown, wet and red eyes. "This is just something we have to work on. You're not going to school today, you're staying home. You need sleep and I'm scheduling a doctor's appointment. This is getting out of hand."

Shaking her head with a scrunched up face, Will whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry—"

Susan wrapped her arms around Will one more time. "Shhh… just tell me what happened. Please, Will. I'm your mother, you can trust me. Please. Tell me."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

The last thing Cornelia or the other girls expected to see was Elyon waiting for them in front of the school in a long gray coat, braving the cold. But that was all she had and whatever else was underneath it. They were walking up the sidewalk heading straight for school when they spotted her waiting in front of the gates. Watching the other children walk through. "Elyon!"

She looked over and huffed out a cloud of vapor in relief. When they were close enough, she decreed, "Finally! It is _freezing_ out here!"

"Then maybe you should go inside," Cornelia stated. "You know. Where we go."

Elyon gave her a stink eye and replied. "I'm too cold to slap you. Listen, I have bad news. You guys have got to sit Will down and speak with her. Seriously. The Oracle's thinking of relinquishing her Guardianship."

They gasped and Taranee asked, "Can he do that?"

Elyon shook her head and answered, "Not sure. But I bet my bucks he can. Turns out, Will's Bipolar and this entire power-switch thing is screwing with her head and turning it on. Will doesn't want to look bad I guess so she's holding back her rage. Himerish thinks that eventually, she's going to blow. And hard."

"Will has mental issues?" Irma asked. "She doesn't even look like it—Well… _Didn't_ look like it."

Hay-Lin stepped to the side and took a deep breath. "We'll try to corner her at school today. But Will doesn't act Bipolar. I can't even tell anything's really strange about her."

Elyon clarified, "According to The Oracle, it all came back when Will was bumped to 'second-best.' It has to do with a bunch of self-worth stuff or something in her past before she moved here to Heatherfield."

Taranee snapped her fingers and pointed at all of them. "Ah ha! I _told_ you it wasn't just about change! It goes way deeper than that."

Hay-Lin turned back to Elyon and Informed her, "We'll try to corner Will and get it out of her today at school. I haven't seen her yet though." The Guardians looked around to spot a head of messy red hair. "I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't show up today. She looked bad yesterday."

"W-Well just f-f-figure something out! I'm heading home, it's cold!" Elyon quickly stomped her way across the empty street into an alley, leaving them alone.

Taranee grabbed her braid and twiddled with it a little. "Okay," she cried. "Will could possibly do something dangerous or whatever. _What_ are we supposed to do? I'm afraid to lay a hand on the girl who has anger issues."

Hay-Lin was beginning to shiver. "We'll figure something out. But not out here. Elyon was right. It's freezing." As if they were activated by a switch, the other girls immediately made way for the inside. Cornelia didn't want icicles on her nose.

By the time the bell rang, Taranee guessed that Will was a no-show. Her locker didn't even look touched today. Every desk except hers was filled. And Mr. Collins looked exhausted when he locked eyes with them as Taranee and Irma walked in. "Taranee? Irma? Could you come here for a second?" Taranee and Irma shared an unsure look, then did as requested. Something happened, Irma thought.

"Yes?" Taranee asked.

Dean rubbed his face for a moment before he sighed. "I need you two to stay after class for a few minutes, alright? I have to ask you a few questions."

Irma quickly nodded and answered, "Sure. Anything to just skip biology for just a few minutes." Taranee was sure it wasn't going to take that long but okay.

Dean nodded and waved them towards their seats so he could get started. Along the way, they inconspicuously eyed the girl in the middle of the front row. More than likely new. She had long straight black hair, pretty light brown eyes, and a nervous look. While questions spun through their heads, Dean took another swig of energy drink and stood up. Ready to begin. "Good morning everyone!" He bellowed. The room quieted down and focused on him. "Now before we begin I'd like to introduce a new student." He gestured towards the new girl and said, "This is Melissa Cordeau, she's new to Heatherfield, and this is her first day at Sheffield."

Melissa nervously waved her hand but didn't say anything. "Hi, everyone." Well not much. Her voice was small and timid but pretty much yelled new girl.

"I hope you feel comfortable here. If not, we'll try to make accommodations so you can be. Now let's get started, alright?" While Dean strode towards the Whiteboard, Taranee and Irma looked towards Will's empty seat on the right. They were supposed to speak with her before something disastrous happened. Question is where was _she?_ Can't exactly speak with someone who's not around.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Will still wouldn't tell her. Susan was still clueless as to why Will was crying out, looked bad, and couldn't sleep. She needed help. She needed it now. ECT was an important option. After Will finally stopped crying, Susan helped her back into the bed and gave her two pills: One for depression since she kept them for emergencies, and another for sleeping. Once she was comfortable under the sheets and Susan verified that Will had swallowed her medicine, she sat down next to her daughter and stroked her red hair, gazing into her brown tired eyes. "Close your eyes," she whispered. "It's okay, you'll get some sleep this time."

"I hate medicine," Will snarled. Her hands were gripping the sheets tight, creating fists.

"Shhhh, I know. I know but we have to do something to get those chemicals in your brain balanced. I need you safe. Safe for others, and yourself. I don't want to lose you Will. I almost lost you before. Not again. You're my daughter and I love you." Susan leaned down and pecked her daughter's forehead. "So just close your eyes and relax your body. Everything will be okay."

Will slowly did as asked while Susan stayed right by her side. Watching her. After a few minutes, Will was beginning to snore a little. Filling the room with relief. Susan sighed softly. She had to do something before another picture frame of Will and her friends were shattered. This was getting out of hand.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Just as requested, when the bell rang Irma and Taranee stayed after class. The new girl Melissa seemed a little lost for a moment, but they were sure she could figure something out for a moment. After the last kid left, Dean sighed and stroked his face with both hands. He was definitely stressed out. "Alright," he started. "I need to ask you a few questions about Will, and I need you to be honest with me alright?"

Irma and Taranee stopped in front of his desk and nodded. "Does Will do any type of activity after school? I'm sure you've noticed Will's behavior these last few days being her friends."

Taranee and Irma shared a knowing look, engaging in a soundless conversation. Taranee decided to take this one. "Well… She usually just comes with us to the Silver Dragon after school. But she hasn't been there lately. She keeps skipping out and doing whatever."

Dean nodded with a thought forming in his head that Knickerbocker may have been correct. Will was doing something she shouldn't be. And it was hurting her. "Do you have any idea on what she may be doing?"

"She usually just says reading when we ask," Irma admitted. _That was a lie,_ she told Taranee through their mind link. They haven't used it in a while and now was definitely a great time to do so.

 _Partly,_ Taranee clarified.

Dean nodded and responded, "Alright. Thanks, girls. You can go."

"Where is Will today?" Taranee asked. She tightened her bag straps while Irma just walked out. "We wanted to try and get her to talk but… She's not here."

"Something happened at home and her mother wants her to stay there today. She's not going anywhere right now."

"Oh… Alright. See you later." Taranee turned around and walked out the door. Leaving Collin to his thoughts. Second period was his planning. When she did, she spotted Irma standing directly across speaking with the new girl. Was she lost? Probably.

Irma pointed down the hall and said, "Then you turn a left and there you are, second door on your right. If you want I can just take you."

Melissa nodded and asked, "Would you?"

Irma shrugged and answered, "Yeah, sure. I suck at math so I'm not really in a rush. Come on. Hey, Taranee!" Taranee walked over to her side and looked at the new girl. "Melissa? Taranee. Taranee? Melissa."

"I know her name, we heard it in class," Taranee deadpanned. Then smiled up at Melissa and greeted, "Nice to meet you. You're tall." The girls moved down the hall and helped Melissa to her next class, making idle conversation along the way. She seemed friendly and very kind. Many students were nervous on their first day. Will was a prime example. This may be a new friendship. But there was still one friend left on Taranee's mind. What happened at Will's house this morning that she couldn't come to school?

 _What happened?_ Cornelia pinged to Taranee's head. Looks like everyone's catching on to the mind link they haven't used. _Irma said Collins talked to you guys?_

 _Yeah,_ Taranee pinged back. _Things are getting worse. Will's being held hostage at her house. Something happened this morning. Enough for Mr. Collins to start asking us questions. I just told him that Will usually skips out on our hangouts, which is partially true. But there's no telling what's going on. We'll just have to wait. Again. I hate it._

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Time pasts by slow. And with that speed came a thick silence in the Vandom household. Now that Will was asleep, Susan could watch over William and make sure he gets his breakfast and all of that. At the same time check on Will, who hadn't even moved from her bed. She really didn't want to admit her to the hospital again. Fadden Hills was already bad enough, she didn't need it down here too. Hopefully, Will could get over it.

But when Will woke up, she didn't even know until it was too late. Sitting on her bedside, Will gazed at the frog in her hands, body facing the window across the carpet floor, just a few feet away. It was cloudy today, giving the impression that it was going to snow. Even with sleep… It wouldn't go away. This voice in her head telling her who she was. Where she was, and what she needed to fix it. _You're alone without a purpose. You've let your parents down. Go and take your purpose._ Each time it came back, Will shook her head. Was she crazy? Out of her mind? She didn't think so, but she sure as heck felt like it right now. The Heart of Kandracar. It would fix everything. Maybe an evil villain is in her head. She needed help with this. Something was up with her. She couldn't explain it. But she needed that Heart. It wasn't even about the fact that she was anxious for the Heart for attention. She knew for a fact that she was stronger than anyone out there once she saw what Air could actually do. And made it happen.

Even now a majority of the stuff in her room were suspended in the air, frozen in time. Even her dresser which she pushed over, thus making all the clothes and items on it fall out were stopped in time. If her mother walked in, she'd freak out. The only thing not frozen was Will when she stood up and walked quietly towards the window, moving aside the molecules around her so at least _she_ could move. The air was chilly outside. She really didn't want to go out in it.

But she needed help. She needed the Heart. It would help, a lot. Right? It had to. She was strong enough to do it herself. Just grab it right? _Yes._ Will twitched when that voice invaded her mind again. Whoever they were was starting to make a little sense. They didn't think she was strong enough. So they replaced her. Maybe if she used the power of the Heart to stabilize her brain, she'd be able to take her spot back as Keeper and Leader. It was crazy. Those girls weren't going to just give it to her. She'd have to go and take it. It was for an important reason. For her health. That term has been flying around a lot lately. Health. It's only been three days since they switched her out for Hay-Lin. That was pure madness. "This is too," Will whispered. She raised her hand and used the air to dig around in her closet. Will was still in her pajamas, but she didn't really care. Her mind was going down the drain because of this. Pajamas were the least of her problems.

Finding a thick leather coat, Will fished it out and donned it to her body. Zipping it up, she grabbed a pair of boots and put them on. They were tied in a double knot, very tightly. She didn't need shoes. Once she grabbed some gloves. Will shifted her hands and calmly put everything suspended back into place behind her. As if it never happened. Her mother was going to go bananas once she realized she was gone. Police, Dean, everyone was going to receive a phone call, text, email, letters even.

"Sorry, mom," Will whispered. Then turned back to the Window. She unlocked it and lifted it up, letting in the cold air. Since there was no ladder or anything, Will depended on her powers. She lifted her right leg and stuck it out into cold air. Then did the same to her head. Using her powers, she solidified the air underneath her feet and walked away from the house on the air. She used her abilities to softly shut the window then turned around and slowly lowered herself to the ground. Just as expected, it was cold and freezing. She really shouldn't be out here. But she had to save herself. With that thought in mind, Will raised her hands and grabbed the air molecules around her, bringing the ones in a twenty foot radius closer together so they could vibrate and create heat. And provide her with warmth. That worked wonders. The vapor falling out of her mouth disappeared and turned into hot air. Smiling, Will took her steps forward and out into the street. She past her home's living room window where Susan was sitting with her back facing it. She didn't even know Will had disappeared.

Will would like for it to be kept that way. Quickly, she ran out into the street for Sheffield with a mission in mind. Grab the Heart and heal herself. She knew how to do it. It was really simple. But first, she had to intercept her friends and get them to see reason. And understand.

But the moment Will ran out into that street. Himerish's eyes widened and he stood up abruptly in his study. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Raising his hand, he created a portal in front of him and floated through into Meridian, inside the Castle throne room. The guards there freaked out a little before Elyon stood up with Caleb. "Hold your weapons, he's a friend." The guards did as asked before Elyon floated down to him. He was disturbed, she could see that. "What is—"

"Will is on the move," he interrupted. "Get to Earth. She's going for the girls."


	5. Fight Of The Guardians

**Fight of The Guardians**

The ringing of the bell signalled the end of the school day. It was only thursday, but it definitely felt like Friday. And it sure looked like it. Those who didn't have to stay quickly made their way for the front doors of the school for either their parents' cars. Or the sidewalk. Or even the bus if they took it. When Cornelia met Melissa at lunch, she thought she had met a black haired version of herself. They looked and talked alike a little bit, but other than that they were different. Their hair were a great contrast on its own.

Unlike the others, the Guardians and Melissa were all pretty much relaxed to leave. Everyone else practically pushed them out the way to exit the school. Once they _were_ outside, Melissa shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "Brrr! Is it always this cold here?" She asked.

Hay-Lin laughed and nodded eagerly. "Well, in the winter."

Irma shook her head and answered, "Only in the winter. In the summer months it's _cool._ "

Cornelia wrapped an arm around Melissa then led her off the school property and turned a right with everyone else. "Spring is the perfect time to hit th malls, girl! You. Me. And those that like to trail behind." She made a motion with her eyes towards the other girls.

Taranee shook her head and admitted, "Cornelia, you dress up as if you were in the mall before you could actually reach it. Then get bummed when you miss the sales. Why? Because you dressed up too slow." Melissa covered her mouth to stifle her laughter while the other girls just straight up laughed. They stopped at a stop light with a few more students to wait for the cars to stop coming.

Irma took this time to get to know their new friend. "So where are you from?"

"New Jersey," she answered. She had a slight accent that seemed to fluctuate. Sort of spanish. "My mother and father got a new job at a tech company as computer technicians. Someplace called TechCom. I have _never_ heard of it."

 _That's where Will's mom works!_ Taranee screamed in the other girls' heads. Irma groaned and asked, "So is that like a computer place or something?"

She answered at the same time the light turned green. "Yes, it's some type of developer business."

Taranee clarified, "TechCom is a developer firm for different operating systems. They create applications, operating systems, and more with different brands."

All the girls fawned in realization. Hay-Lin assumed it was just a computer place where you get computers. Apparently it was more than that. After a few more minutes, Melissa turned and led them onto a street that Elyon popped out of, looking around hectically in exactly what she wore that morning. Cornelia raised an eyebrow and yelled, "Elyon, what are you doing?!"

Elyon turned their way and ran over quickly. Melissa stepped to the side and allowed "Elyon" in. She seemed in a rush. "She's loose!" Elyon yelled.

Not getting it, Irma asked, "Who's loose? Your puppy?"

Elyon slowed to a stop and answered tiredly, "No. _You know who_ is loose. And I don't have a dog."

Melissa looked around awkwardly. This seemed like an important conversation. She pointed her thumb down the street and told them, "So… I'll see you girls later?"

"Oh yeah, definitely!" Cornelia responded. "We'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we can hang out sometime."

"Sure." Melissa turned and made her way down the street, waving over her head. "See you later!"

"See ya!" Elyon watched her walk away then looked up to Cornelia for an explanation. "A new friend who just started today. Now what do you mean Will's loose?"

Elyon looked around for a moment. Then grabbed Cornelia's hand and led her as well as the other Guardians into an alleyway they were standing right beside. Once they were out of sight she turned around and whispered, "The Oracle came to Meridian and said she's looking for you. He has a bad feeling about it and I do too because I stopped at Will's place earlier just to check things out. She's not there and her mom's outside asking neighbors questions. I think she called the police too. The Oracle thinks she's coming after you."

Hay-Lin blinked and looked around their environment. Besides everyday life which consisted of cars and people walking, as well as the average dog barking, things seemed normal. But apparently a girl with a grudge is out there waiting for them. Sounds like High School. "Okay…" Hay-Lin turned back and asked, "Any idea on where she may be?"

Elyon quickly shook her head. "No idea. I just know she's out here. The entire council is waiting for an update."

"Just like her mother. Come on." Hay-Lin took the lead and walked out of the alley. Then stopped and looked around. No angry Will in sight. Once the others were with her, they walked straight ahead for the alley across, taking a different route for the Silver Dragon. There was no telling if she was waiting for them. A rat squeaked and moved underneath a dark green dumpster as they passed, walking over garbage and more before reaching the quiet other side. Void of any vehicles.

Taranee looked around then pointed to the left. If they walked down this street, they'd be right at the Silver Dragon in three blocks. Hay-Lin seemed to catch on because she led them down that road and through the street full of tall buildings. A lot of cars stayed on this side, let alone _this_ street. Elyon looked up and read the name of the Skyscraper they were passing by right now. TechCom. Must've been important, a lot of people with suits and such were walking around it. They passed the first block and across the road onto the second, full of restaurants with people walking in and out.

"I don't see her," Taranee sighed. She turned to Elyon who was trying to look at everything at once. "Are you sure Will's lost it?"

"The Oracle seems to think so." Elyon turned her head to the right and stopped, causing Irma to bump into her back. "And I think she's right there. Will likes frogs… Right?"

The others stopped and followed her gaze. Directly across the street in an alley was a girl with a bedhead of short red hair, wearing pink pajamas with frogs on them, arms folded and staring at them with an unreadable expression. She had a coat on but it was wide open. At least she had a coat _on_. Taranee gulped and looked Will up and down. The look on her face was giving her an uneasy feeling. It wasn't a frown nor a smile. Just… Basic. But those bags under her eyes told another story. She was exhausted. Full of fatigue and drowsiness. Will had lost it.

Cornelia continued walking forward and whispered, "Keep walking, keep walking, we don't see her…" The others caught on and did as told. But could still feel Will's eyes burning into their backs like a branding iron as they moved. She was watching. After they walked another block, Hay-Lin glanced over her shoulder. No one else was there behind them. That was good. Right?

"Come on, Will," Irma muttered. "Don't make this mistake."

"Stop. Walking. Away." They stopped and looked around before Will walked out of an alley in front of them a few feet away. How the heck did she get there so fast? She was right behind them! Elyon's right eye twitched. She did _not_ look good. She made a good attempt to be presentable, but it looked like it was a good _desperate_ attempt. Besides her looks, the rest of her was very unrecognizable as offensive. She was wearing freaking pajamas! "I need you girls to understand something," she whispered.

Taranee raised her hand slightly and cooed, "Will, you _need_ sleep. Not what you _think_ you need. It's just going to hurt you even more. I don't know what the heck happened, but we need you to calm down, alright?"

She didn't listen. Will raised her hand out in a "Hand it over" fashion and ordered, "Give me the Heart of Kandracar. Then it will all be over before it even begins."

Cornelia pushed Hay-Lin back behind them slowly with a careful eye on Will. "Will, listen. You don't need that. It's going to make things worse. Don't make this mistake."

Will slowly shook her head and answered, "You don't understand. If I don't have it, it's over for me. I need ECT."

"And if you do, what will happen next? Will, you're going to hurt yourself over this. If you attack us, the Oracle is going to reinstate your guardianship. You won't be a Guardian at all, let alone the Guardian of Air." For a moment, Will stayed silent. Cornelia and everyone else were sure she was thinking about what would happen if she attacked. "Make the right choice, Will. Look we'll take you home so you can get some sleep, medicine, and whatever the heck else you need. But we can't give you the Heart of Kandracar."

Elyon shook her head and added, "Will, we don't want to hurt you. You're a friend. And I know for a fact you don't want to hurt us."

 **"I'm not going back without the Heart!"** Will yelled. The girls immediately took up defensive poses. Will was becoming aggressive. Again. Now Elyon could see it. "All because of a 'prophecy', everything I've been through and conquered over is once again brought back! Something is taken away that gave my life meaning, plunging me back down into darkness! So just give me the Heart so can I have meaning **back**!"

Taranee's hands lit on fire while she countered, "Having the Heart doesn't give you meaning, Will. Nor does it make you powerful."

"I. Just. Need. Electrical pulses," Will snarled. "I just need a bit of it and I'll give it back. I promise."

"We can't trust you on that, Will. You are _way_ too unstable right now." Elyon's hands flashed before her staff was in her grip, ready for a fight. "We just need to get you home. Call the police or something. Will, you're not well."

Will blinked at her then locked eyes on Hay-Lin, who was the only one not ready, shielded behind the rest of the Guardians and Queen Elyon. Taking on a more gentle tone, she whispered, "Hay-Lin… Just give me the Heart. Please."

Hay-Lin gulped and answered, "I'm sorry, Will. I can't."

Will blinked in response. Then all was silent. The cold wind brushed past their faces, tickling their skin and moving their hair about. The girls across were ready for a fight while the girl they were preparing to fight was standing there with a calm expression, unreadable eyes trained on them. "Then… I'm sorry, too. But I need it." Will suddenly jumped in the air and hovered there for a moment. Then swung her arm around, slicing through the air and sending a long, fast, and large wave of distorted air straight for them. Elyon saw it approach, as fast as a baseball.

"Duck!" All the girls jumped to the side before the wave could hit. Instead hit vehicles and more behind them. Shattering windows, denting metals and triggering car alarms. Taranee was about to throw a fireball but Hay-Lin grabbed her wrist from behind, stopping her movement. "We can't grab her here! Come on!" She dragged Taranee and led the others across the street quickly into an alley, heading to who knew where. Will dropped back down on the ground and ran after them. A car coming down the street screeched to a halt before Will started jumping on the wave of air molecules, hopping high over the car and doing a forward somersault. The driver watched her land on the other side and run after the girls with an open mouth. What the heck was that?!

Cornelia looked over her shoulder and watched Will chase them into the dark alley, boots pounding the pavement just like theirs. She raised her hand towards Will and shouted, "Earth!" The ground shook before thick vines shot up out of it and created a twelve foot wall. The girls stopped and looked behind them at it in silence, completely taken back by what happened next. Somehow, Will managed to run in the air and over the wall, still heading straight for them. "GIVE ME THE HEART!" Will screamed. Then placed her hands like she was holding a baseball bat then raised them up in a sudden plumbing motion. The ground underneath their feet gave out from underneath them when they were all of a sudden pulled into the sky.

Elyon and everyone else screamed before they stopped and began to fall back to the ground. Fearing no other choice, Hay-Lin reached in her shirt and whipped out the Heart of Kandracar. "Guardians, unite!" They changed in midair, nearly hitting the ground before their wings took charge, catching them before they could. They zipped back up and regrouped with Elyon then looked back towards the ground. Will was no longer there. "Ohhhh, I don't see her," Irma warned. Then formed a defensive circle with the other girls, backs pressed together.

"Dammit, Will, you made the wrong choice," Taranee whispered through her teeth while nervously looking around. She was out there, they could feel her. Hay-Lin would be on her tiptoes if they were on the ground.

"Come on, where—Ahh!" Will zipped up and grabbed Hay-Lin by the shirt, dragging her high into the air. In her Guardian form.

"Crap! We changed her too!" Cornelia yelled before zipping up after them. Once they were high enough, Will stopped and pulled Hay-Lin up to peer into her scared eyes, while she stared into her tired ones.

"Just give me the Heart and I'll let you go," Will stated sternly. She knew the Heart was powerless unless it was handed over willingly. She had to coerce it out of Hay-Lin.

But she slowly shook her head and answered, "Sorry, Will." Then took her head and headbutted Will in hers. She yelled and let Hay-Lin go to hold her face. Then slowly lowered her hands to stare at Hay-Lin with teeth bared. Yelling, she pulled back her hand and sent her flying back down to the ground without any type of physical contact. Hay-Lin passed through the other girls before Cornelia flew after her.

 _I'll grab her! Somebody grab Will!_ She pinged. Taranee lit her hands and sent flaming balls of fire straight for Will while Irma fired repetitive balls of water. Will clapped her hands together and spread them apart, creating a solid wall of air that the water and fire erupted from, unable to reach their target. Then created her right hand into a vertical tube and pulled it downwards like she yanked a rope, pulling Taranee by her legs down to the Earth. Her studying of molecules were amazing. They could barely touch her. And she didn't even have to touch them.

 _Is she using telepathy?!_ Taranee pinged before flipping and flying right back up.

Elyon reached Will and swung her staff straight for Will's middle. But hit something solid. Or was grabbed by something solid. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Will's was narrowed and angry, similar to Elyon's whose was more controlled. Will's hand was down like a spider in between her own and Elyon's face. Then her fingers began moving in a strange wave. The staff was yanked out of Elyon's hold away from them before she herself was thrown back, yelping out of surprise. _No! It's definitely something else! How is she doing this?!_

Cornelia looked around for something to use in the alleyway while Hay-Lin was aiming her hands from down below. This had to be just right. Taking a deep breath, she shot her hand forward and gave the signal. _I'm sorry, Will. Everyone down!_ Elyon and Irma flew back before a large bolt of pink lightning was shot upwards, straight for Will. They all closed their eyes and waited for the boom. But it never came. Instead, it was still cold, windy, snowy, and silent. They slowly opened their eyes and focused on Will, losing their breath at what they saw. Those already disturbed by what was going on on Earth in Kandracar watching slowly gaped their mouths open and stood up. Eyes on the floating feed of the action. "...Impossible," Halinor whispered.

All eyes in Heatherfield were captured at the frozen pink lightning bolt millimeters away from reaching Will's face. Will had her teeth bared and tired eyes completely narrowed, zeroing in on the pink in her vision. Her hand was open underneath the bolt like it was holding a ball. Controlling the air around it which had grabbed the energy as if it were no more than a toy.

Cornelia and everyone else regrouped and took up their positions. Ready to continue. Will's sudden groaning gradually took on a yell before she spread her fingers. The lightning suddenly grew arms that zipped straight for her friends, taking them off guard. Gasping, Elyon grabbed them and teleported away. Reappearing on Sheffield Beach, far away from her by the time it hit the space they were at previously. Loud thunder echoed around the city when it hit, rattling windows and the ground they eagerly landed on. Once they all got their wits back, Hay-Lin pushed them away and walked through the sand with her face in her hands. Then turned back, pointed to Heatherfield and yelled, "What the hell was that?!"

"I don't know!" Cornelia yelled. "That should be impossible! Does she still have control over Quintessence?!"

Taranee shook her head and answered, "No way, only Hay-Lin has control over it."

"Then how'd she do that? She… She… She stopped a lightning bolt! Like she's Thor or something!"

"Guys, **_guys_**!" Elyon yelled. Everyone focused on her and listened. "We don't know how Will did that. All we know is that she's really good with it. So we have to step our game up too. Alright?"

Everyone nodded before the sand a little ways away suddenly lifted into the air. They got back into their positions and prepared themselves. Will was near again. Actually she was flying straight for them farther down the beach. Taranee spotted her first. She pointed and yelled, "Here she comes!"

They all readied themselves while Will raised her arms to the side in mid flight like claws, grabbing the sand underneath her and flying towards them with six arms of them. Spinning around her like a horizontal tornado. "GIVE ME THE HEART!" She yelled. Then shot her hands forward, sending the arms flying. Cornelia jumped to the side just in time while the others ducked and waved her hand towards Will like she splashed her with water. The sand underneath it shot at her, aiming straight for her face. Will barrel rolled to the right, avoiding it before she flipped in a somersault and plunged her feet into Cornelia's chest. With a grunt, she flew back and into the sand with Will on top. Straddling her chest, Will pulled back her fist about to lay it on her before a wave of water knocked her to the side. She rolled through the sand, covering her body in it before Taranee and Elyon jumped on her, pinning her arms to the ground.

Leaning down, Elyon yelled desperately, "You have to fight this, Will! This isn't you!" Will grunted out then shifted her right hand, grabbing Elyon in an unknown force and throwing her back into Irma and Hay-Lin. All three sailed into the freezing water behind them, yelling in pain. Sighing, Taranee took a desperate measure. She pulled back her right fist and sailed it into the side of Will's face, knocking it to the side. "Come on, Will! Wake up, come on!"

Hay-Lin jumped up and looked around, ears ringing and body cold. That was a hard and wet impact. A _very_ hard one. Shivering, she locked eyes on Will and Taranee. Taranee was punching Will in the face while Cornelia was making her way over. But she spotted something in Will's right hand that made her freeze up before raising her own. She had grabbed a handful of sand and used that strange power to make a shank. She witnessed Will push Taranee back and stand back up. Mouth bleeding a little. Then jump on Taranee and locked her arms to the side by kneeling on her elbow pits, straddling her chest. "TARANEE!" Hay-Lin yelled. She pulled her arm back and created a bright pink ball of lightning. Then threw it straight for Will with great force.

Everyone else saw what was about to happen too. Will was about to plunge that shank straight into Taranee's chest. They all stood up and flew as fast as they could to Will and Taranee. But the ball of light beat them to her. It was like everything slowed next. Will looked up, straight into it. Right when it hit her face. The weight on Taranee's chest immediately lifted when Will screamed in agony. Flying back, she landed and slid into the sand by the front, holding her face and screaming in utter pain. It was like a cat screeching.

Ignoring it, Cornelia slid through the sand next to Taranee to check on her while the others flew straight to Will, still screaming. Whatever happened knocked her down. But she still had enough to fight. Glancing over her shoulder, she raised her left hand and froze them all, just like the lightning bolt. She took deep rapid breaths, crying in pain, holding her face. They couldn't see what happened but Taranee bet her bits it was terrible if she was crying like that. "MY FACE! YOU BASTARDS!" Before Will could stand up, she suddenly slumped to the ground with her face in the cold sand. Knocked out.

Will froze everyone but Elyon, who teleported to the other side just in time. And while Will was focused on them, she took her staff and hit Will on the top of the head, beating her just like that. Then everything calmed down. Their rapid heartbeats slowed to a slow beat per minute, allowing relaxation in the civil war underneath the snow. Long shadows cast over Will's form when they approached, looking her over with her face in the sand. Elyon took the initiative and gulped. Then grabbed Will's arm and flipped her over. She gasped, covered her mouth and looked away. Taranee closed her eyes and bit her lip while Hay-Lin just took a deep breath and covered her face.

Kicking the dirt, Cornelia yelled, "Dammit!"

Elyon checked her pulse and took a deep breath. "She's alive," she whispered. "We have to get her to Kandracar and get her fixed up."

Taranee pointed at her face and asked, "How exactly can we fix _that?!_ " The ball of lightning Hay-Lin threw hit Will's right eye, burning it. Luckily Will closed her eyes, so it only hit the lid, so far as they could tell. But it had a big enough impact around it. There was singed flesh all around the organ. It was dark, red, ragged, crispy, and angry. And it looked like a child drew a burned star with six corners. Like a comic bubble of a bomb. It didn't look good. At all. Oh boy. It was ugly.

Hay-Lin shook her head. "Oh god, it's all my fault!" She screamed. "I threw the lightning! What are we gonna—"

Cornelia gripped her shoulders and yelled, "Hay-Lin, calm down, we'll figure something out! But first we have to get out of here. We need a fold to Kandrakar."

"What about her parents?" Taranee asked. She was still a little shaken from Will's shank that she was about to plunge into her chest lying right there by her left foot. It was made out of stone. How she made it was troubling. How she did any of what she did was. "They're still looking for her right now."

"Nothing. We're not here. We'll deal with that once we get back. Right now, we have to deal with the current problem. Getting Will some help in Kandrakar. Her face is really bad right now."

Elyon nodded and created a fold while the Guardians picked up Will by the legs and arms. One they had a good grip, Elyon took the lead and walked through the fold, followed closely by the girls. Before she walked through, Hay-Lin turned and looked around. How the heck no one heard all the ruckus confused her. The entire beach was totaled, yet no one were in sight. Strange. Hay-Lin sighed then turned around and jumped through, landing in the Congregation of Kandrakar. Everyone were already in there. All of the Council, including those that rarely come. The living past guardians like Yan-Lin who held a look of sorrow directed to Hay-Lin when she locked eyes with her. And the Oracle, whose look held great pain. And hurt.

"She needs medical assistance," Elyon requested. The Oracle and Luba strode forward while the Guardians laid her down on the ground. The Oracle raised his hand and levitated her body up like a table. Then used his other hand to scan her from toes to head. Realizing they were still in their guardian forms, Hay-Lin raised the Heart and changed them all back. Including Will. But even though she was back to normal, her face wasn't. That large burn mark was still there. Luba used her hand and pried open the eyelid. Her eyes which were once just a white with a brown circle were now brown and red with severe agitation. She'll be in a lot of pain when she woke up. Luba could tell that just by looking at it.

The Oracle removed the hand scanning Will and shook his head. "I cannot heal her," he admitted. "The damage is too severe. It goes deep."

Elyon walked over urgently and asked, "Are you sure there's nothing you can do? We can't just… Send her back like this!" She stretched her arm out towards Will's body.

The Oracle sighed and shook his head. "I understand. But unfortunately, we have no choice. Her skin is permanently damaged. We can provide treatment while she's here. But until then, we have to nurse the wound and lock her away."

The Guardians sighed and glanced at each other while the Oracle, Elyon, and the rest of the council strode towards the door, leaving Will to them for now. There was no telling what would happen when she woke up. But one thing was for certain. Everything had changed today. And fast.


	6. Repercussions A New Guardian Is Born

**Repercussions; A New Guardian Is Born**

Tom Lair was ready to go home. More than ready. He stayed up last night because of an urgent thing happening close to a party he had to investigate with more officers in the city of Heatherfield. His head of brown hair was a little messy and his brown eyes spelled exhaustion. The patrol car he was driving stopped at a busy stoplight, making him sigh. Nothing much has been going on in Heatherfield for the last few days. So he's been mostly getting paid to drive and keep a close eye out. Which is exactly what he did when a pink lightning bolt froze in the distance, lighting up the sky. He stared at it for a moment. Then lowered the window and stuck his head out just like everyone else. People walking, driving, everyone just stopped what they were doing and just stared at it. Tom Lair just couldn't believe his eyes. Some were even taking pictures. Then the craziest thing happened. The top of it shot out like arms and went to the left before booming. Loud.

Tom felt his car shake from the magnitude before rolling up the window. That was really interesting. Lightning freezing in the air like that. Never seen it in all his days. Wow. When the light finally turned green and the craziness toned down, the radio on the dashboard buzzed. _"All units please be advised of a PUP on the east side of town. Description is female, short red hair, age fifteen, five foot seven, light brown eyes. Wearing pajamas with frogs on them."_

PUP? Possibly Unstable Person? Who would be doing something out here in the cold like this? _"Name is Wilhelmina Vandom."_ "Holy—!" Tom pulled the car over out of the street and parked it. Wilhelmina Vandom? As in his daughter's friend?! Tom whipped out his phone and dialed Irma. Then put it to his ear. He waited a few seconds, drumming suddenly anxious fingers on the top of the steering wheel before it went straight to voicemail. He sighed and placed it back down. She wasn't available. What was Will doing out here? Tom pushed that aside and put the car back in drive. Anxiously looking for the girl with frog pajamas. Looks like something finally happened.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Irma couldn't stop pacing the floor and the Guardians were all trying to pass the time if it were existent in Kandrakar. Kadma was watching then with great pity. Her old expression was evident on both hers, Halinor, and Yan-Lin's face. They just went through what they went through with Nerissa. In a different form, but still had the same outcome. A friend turned unstable, thirsty for power. Or control. There was no way to tell at the moment. Either way, the Guardians were broken.

Taranee sighed and sat down on the floor. "We could've done something," she whispered.

Yan-Lin sighed and floated over the barrier shielding them from the floor. "There was nothing you could do," she whispered. Then landed and approached them all.

Irma crossed her arms and asked her, "Then all of this was what, meant to be? Will almost killed Taranee! She somehow managed to manipulate everything around us! She kept us from even **_moving_**! That's not supposed to happen. We could've done something."

Yan-Lin sighed and countered, "Will… It was eventually bound to happen. She has been suffering for so long. But there was not much _anyone_ could do, let alone her friends. It all started in Fadden Hills. Will became pressured and it infected her life. It disappeared for awhile, then returned when Hay-Lin was given the Heart of Kandracar. In Will's mind, it was Fadden all over again. Not much could be done for her then. By her friends, or her parents. Or even doctors. Unfortunately, not much can be done for her now."

The conversation ceased when the doors to the congregation opened, letting in the Oracle and the rest of the Congregation. Elyon looked more sad than anything. "We patched her up as best as we could," the Oracle informed them. He teleported over to the stands with everyone else and took a seat. "But I am sorry to say… The burn will remain. I cannot heal the body that has been damaged that badly. But now we have another issue: What to do with her. As I'm sure Queen Elyon has told you, Will will no longer be part of the Guardians." The guardians sighed and expressed their emotions in different ways. "We do not need another Nerissa. And unfortunately, we will also wipe her memory of ever becoming a Guardian."

"Wait, what?!" Taranee yelled. "With all due respect that's a complete invasion of Will's mind."

Halinor nodded and replied, "It is. But Will is no longer a Guardian. She is now just an inhabitant of Earth. All of which should not know about the Guardians except the Regents and anyone else who have obtained the rights of knowledge. Will is now… Just a standard human. We disconnected her from the Auramere of Air, relinquishing her power."

"So what happens when she returns to Earth?" Cornelia quickly asked. "When everyone sees her like that they'll want a story. How exactly is she going to explain having her _eye burned?!_ There is a **huge** scorch on her face, which is ruined forever. Unless she somehow gets some plastic surgery, that face stays like that. We can't fix that."

The Oracle sighed and answered, "We'll think of something. In the meantime, I believe it is time you went back to your homes. Your parents are looking for you at this time and hour, no doubt having heard of Will's disappearance from her bed."

Hay-Lin sighed and raised the Heart, creating a fold. "And Guardians?" They looked back to Himerish, who apologized, "I am greatly sorry you had to experience this."

Hay-Lin blinked at him then turned around and walked sadly through first into an alley near Will's home. They were really going to dread this. _Tuck the Heart,_ Taranee pinged. Hay-Lin grabbed it and quickly did as asked. Then strode out of the alley. Two police cars were parked in front of Will's house. One of them with the license plate of Irma's father. "Oh boy," Irma muttered. "So… What's the lie?"

"Uhhh—" Before Hay-Lin could answer, Irma's phone rang loud and proud of some dance music. With her tongue out, Irma fished through her pocket and answered when she found it.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?"Tom Lair asked. He was inside the Vandom residence helping track down Will. One officer was getting some information out of Will's mother and father while two more detectives were standing by, listening and taking notes. "I called you three times in an hour. I need you at Will's house."

"We're actually outside the front door." Tom lowered the phone and walked towards the door. When he opened it, Irma was smiling and waving from the other side with the other four. "We were coming here because Will hasn't been answering our texts."

He waved them in and closed the door behind them quickly to keep out the cold. Cornelia looked around the area and asked, "What happened?"

Tom stroked his face and answered, "Your friend's a Possible Unstable Person who's missing. Have you seen her recently?"

Taranee shrugged and answered, "Only at school. On her birthday, we met outside and gave her a gift. A little while later she started acting strange and avoiding us and anyone else."

One of the detectives, a woman with short blonde hair with gel walked over with a notepad and asked, "Did Will have any other friends? People she's spoken with in the past?"

Elyon would be a candidate but Elyon Isn't on Earth anymore. "Her ex-boyfriend, Matt Olsen."

Susan gasped and asked aghast, "They broke up?!"

Cornelia nodded and answered, "He moved out of town around a month ago, so they broke it off. Will wasn't upset or anything though. So what's wrong with her?"

Susan sniffed and answered, "Will was a victim back in Fadden years ago when I divorced my last husband. We used to bicker and argue a lot, so Will came to the mentality that she was the cause of it, plunging her into a deep depression. Her grades slipped in school, she started having mood swings, getting in fights. It was really bad. I took her to a therapist and they diagnosed her with Bipolar Depression. And it was becoming worse. We gave her medicine to stabilize her and it worked for awhile, but it soon stopped. So Will kept herself busy by working her way back to the top of classes, programs, schools. Working hard. It kept her away from problems. But one day, it got really bad and she tried to commit suicide after she believed she disappointed me by being 'second best' in a school event. The judge there looking over the Child custody case ruled in my favor after I told him we were moving to Heatherfield. I had gotten a new job here and it was a change of scenery for Will. Thankfully, she didn't need to take her medicine after we did. For almost four years. Then she comes home on her birthday mad and upset. Everything turned right back into Fadden. It's just…" Susan buried her face into her hands before Dean pulled her into a hug.

"Alright so something possibly happened during a school day," Tom assumed. He then turned to his daughter and asked, "So what did you guys do at school?"

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

While the girls were dealing with whatever was happening on Earth, Elyon was dealing with Will in Kandrakar. They moved her to a small medical unit and did what they could to her face. The room was entirely white with walls littered with potions, oils, and creams. A single sink was in the back behind the large table in the middle of the room strapped to Will's unconscious form. She was face up with a cloth covering her right eye. Motionless. They already applied burn cream to the wound, but that was all that could be done. While Will slept Elyon stayed in the corner, watching her. Silently replaying the events that happened that evening.

Will attacked them. And nearly killed Taranee. But she wanted Hay-Lin. That much was obvious. Elyon glanced to the timer next to her. To soothe the pain Will was feeling, they had to apply a new layer of ointment to the affected area every thirty minutes, as well as keep it closed off so it didn't get infected. She grabbed a nearby glass container sitting on a nearby stool and stood up from her chair. Then walked elegantly towards Will's bedside. The ointment was held in a large glass jar, filled with brown liquid. Elyon hated this part. She reached down and flipped aside the moist cloth keeping her face from view. The burn took up twenty five percent of her face. There was no way they would be able to hide this. Dark burned flesh, a deeply great contrast from her white skin. It was ragged and ruffled. Forever damaged. Elyon sighed and unscrewed the top of the jar. Then reached in with three fingers and scooped out the brown oil-like substance.

She placed it on her burned face and rubbed clockwise. It's been like this for two hours. Watching and rubbing. Watching and rubbing. Hopefully, she'd wake up soon. That moment was now. Will groaned and turned her head to Elyon, who gasped slightly and pulled her hand back. Then asked, "...Will? Will, can you hear me?" Will's eyes fluttered open and locked in on Elyon. Her face was blurry for a moment before slowly coming into focus as much as possible. Her right eye was slightly singed. Red, angry, and agitated. Causing extreme blurriness and pain. Add that to the fact her left one was fine and you have no bueno vision.

She blinked and grimaced loudly. Something happened to her. What happened earlier? The fight for the Heart. The fight in the sand. The blinding mass of pink light that... Lightning. That was lightning.

And it flew into her face.

"What… what happened to my face?" She whispered. Then opened her eyes entirely and trained on Elyon. "What happened to my face?" She repeated.

Elyon sighed and shook her head. "It got burned, Will. But only a section. The rest is fine, but… Your eye is burned. We're doing what we can but we can't heal it. You were about to stab Taranee, so..."

Will's heart sped up. "You threw lightning at my face," she whispered.

"You almost stabbed Taranee," Elyon countered.

"My face is _ruined_!" She yelled. Elyon stepped back until she remembered Will was tied down. Her wrists were pinned to her sides, right at the hips. "Taranee is still alive! I am ruined forever! All I needed was electrical impulses to stabilize chemical brain patterns. But instead I get a burned face! Look at me." Elyon turned her head and avoided eye contact. She chose to sigh and stare at the floor instead. "LOOK AT ME!"

"Enough, Wilhelmina." _Himerish,_ Will thought. Yan-Lin and Halinor walked in behind him and took opposite sides of the table. Himerish was above, Yan-Lin on the left, Halinor on the right, and Elyon at the foot. Himerish stared into Will's eyes, creating a strange blur in Will's sight. "I am sorry it came to this," he whispered.

Will slowly shook her head and whispered, "I just needed ECT. I would have returned the heart, I swear."

Halinor huffed and said, "It doesn't matter anymore. After the procedure, everything will fade."

Will had a bad feeling. "Wh… wh-what do you mean? What procedure?"

"We the Council have reinstated your position as Guardian of the veil, and have disconnected you from the Auramere of air. With that, we will remove any memories of meeting the others. Starting from the first day you met them."

Both Elyon and Will were in shock. They were going to take away the memories she had of being in Sheffield entirely?! "N-No! No, you can't do that!" Will cried. "You can't take them away, you can't! That's not right and you know it!"

Elyon was actually with her on this one. "Are you sure, Oracle?" She questioned. "That _is_ a little much."

"That is _very_ much!"

The Oracle nodded and responded, "It would be too difficult and timely to just clear bits and pieces. We want her back home by tonight. As much as it pains me to do this Will…" The Oracle placed his hands on both sides of Will's head while she struggled to fight him off. "I have no choice. We do not need another Nerissa. I am very sorry."

They were going to take her away. They were going to take everything that made her… _Her._ Everything in Will's mind was about to disappear. She could already see the future. The ones that were her friends today wouldn't be tomorrow. Dean wouldn't be her father. All of it would leave her. William wouldn't be her baby brother. Matt, her pet dormouse, her mother, her hobbies, all of it. She'll never make friends again like this.

"The second you do this Himerish," Will whispered. "You'll kill me. Taranee and everyone else may have survived tonight. But the second you do this will be the same second Will Vandom died. I may as well have killed myself. You think people would want to talk to me? A person with a face like this? You're not making things better for me. You're making it worse. For me, and yourself."

Himerish blinked at Will and sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Will. But by the power vested in me… I reinstate your Guardianship." Will felt both of his hands clasp her head before her world quickly flipped. The bright ceiling and faces peering down morphed and twisted before she saw nothing but white. Then like a TV screen, it flashed to black. Will couldn't remember how long she was asleep. Nor how she even woke up. But when she did, the first thing she recognized was beeping, sniffling, and a large ache in her face. Will fluttered her eyes open and locked onto the TV across from her. Then the window to the left letting in sunlight. Everything was more blurry than focused. Why? And why did her face hurt so much? Was her right eye closed?

Will reached up and touched the area. The right side was wrapped up in bandages. But it hurt. A lot. Using her left hand, she reached up and touched the left. Her mouth, eyes, hair, chin, everything was good here. But… Why was the right side of her face wrapped up? "Will! Oh my god, sweetheart!" Will was suddenly pulled into a large embrace by who she recognized as her mother. Will looked up into Susan's gleeful face and into the face of her rich father's. Tony's. And the face of another unfamiliar woman and man with a mustache beside her mother. Who was he?

Tony leaned in and pulled Will into a hug with Susan. "You're alive! Oh thank goodness you're alive!" He pulled back and let Will look him over. He still looked the same. Short red haircut with a big face and head. Dark brown eyes wet with tears. Why was everyone crying and… and smiling? "How are you feeling? When I got the phone call I drove down here as fast as I could."

Will blinked then reached up to the gauze around her head. Susan reached out and quickly grabbed her hand to cease that movement. "Don't mess with it, you'll only make it worse."

Will blinked at her then asked, "...what happened?"

"You were beside a warehouse when a lightning bolt struck," that weird guy with a mustache answered. "The flame caught you and they had to take you to the hospital. How are you feeling?"

Will slowly shook her head and asked timidly, "Who are you? Mom, who is that guy?" She pointed at the man and looked to her mother.

With her eyes on Will she pointed to "the guy" and answered, "This is Dean, Will. Remember? Your stepfather?"

"Step… When did you even start dating? Let alone get married?" Will whispered.

The adults all shared a glance at the same time a Doctor wearing casual clothing walked in with short brown hair, glasses, and a smile on her dark skinned face holding a clipboard. "Good morning, Will," she greeted. "Gave us quite the scare last night when we found you beside a burning building. I'm Sara, your doctor. Do you remember what happened last night?" Will slowly shook her head. "Okay, that's fine. Everything will return soon."

Ignoring her, Susan asked, "Will do you know where you are?"

Will blinked at her. Then pointed to the doctor. "Well besides the fact she's a doctor and I was apparently found beside a burning warehouse, the heart monitor beside me is whispering to me that I'm in the hospital."

Susan and the woman with no name beside Will's father chuckled. "No, sweetheart. What city are you in?"

"Uhh… Fadden Hills?"

Susan shook her head and replied, "No, Will. We left Fadden Hills nearly four years ago. Remember?"

Will looked around and took in her surroundings. "I… I don't remember that."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Nobody spoke at the lunch table that morning. After Will was found back on Earth, Elyon met with them and told them what happened. That Himerish didn't just erase Will's Guardian memories. But her Heatherfield memories too. There were so many that it took two hours. But they ended up doing it. Technically, Will thinks she's twelve right now and back in Fadden Hills. With no memories of anything whatsoever.

Taranee took a deep breath and shook her head. "Dammit," she whispered. "I think _I'm_ getting depressed."

Cornelia nodded and added, "Me too. What are we going to do, guys? Will is no longer an option."

Hay-Lin shook her head and shrugged. "Not sure. We need a new Guardian of Air to prepare for this threat that's going to arise. Thing is I don't get how that's going to help anything with Will."

"I think… I think the Oracle wants us to just forget about Will." They all turned to Irma in shock. She was sad, but didn't let it show as much. "I don't know why. But it seemed like that would be the best option."

Melissa sat down beside her with an inviting smile. "Hey!… Oooh, did I come at a bad time?" She asked. Those frowns were making her frown.

With her eyes to the table, Irma sighed and answered, "No, it's just been a long night."

"Oh… Is everything alright? By the way your shirt is going haywire." She pointed a finger at the Heart hidden underneath Hay-Lin's shirt, vibrating and moving around like a mouse. The others directed their attention to it. Then widened their eyes when they realized what was going on. "So what is that, like an electric rock?" Cornelia snorted while everyone else just stared at her. "Was it something I said?"

 _Now I see what Irma means,_ Taranee pinged. She smiled at Melissa and asked, "Say. Don't freak, but have you sneezed and trashed your room recently?" Hay-Lin looked to her like, _Are you serious?_

Placing her elbow on the table, Melissa pointed at Taranee and answered, "Funny you should ask that. This morning, actually. I woke up, sneezed, and blew my bed into the window's wall. Mom and dad asked, 'What the heck happened?!' And I was all, 'I sneezed!' Most sneezes don't flip entire bed frames. But I saw a lightning bolt that was **pink** freeze in the sky yesterday, so I'm ready for anything."

 _How many people saw that?_ Taranee pinged.

 _It was a lightning bolt,_ Irma deadpanned. _Everyone saw it. Let's invite her to the Silver Dragon just to be sure._

Hay-Lin smiled at Melissa from down the table and asked, "So we have a hangout spot at my place. Wanna join? It's at a suave Chinese restaurant~."

Melissa eagerly nodded. "Sounds good. I haven't been around Heatherfield much, so I don't really know all the good places."

Feeling rejuvenated, Taranee reached in her bag and pulled out a notebook. Then gestured to the girl across. "The person who can show you all the good places would be Cornelia. She shops everywhere, goes everywhere, lives anywhere. Her family spoils her."

Cornelia scoffed and crossed her arms. "They do not. Lillian is a prime example. The little brat tried to take my phone this morning."

Melissa chuckled and assumed, "Little sister?"

Cornelia nodded. "Yeah, the little demon." The bell's ringing ceased the conversation before they could move forward. Everyone in the Cafeteria stood up and grabbed their bags. Then made their way towards the exits. "Love her to bits though. I'll see you later, okay? I have to go to…" Cornelia shivered and whispered. "Gym. All that sweat, gross." Cornelia shook her hands and made way for her class with Hay-Lin on the left of the Cafeteria entrance.

Irma looped her arm with Melissa and gestured with her head to the right. "Let's get to Mr. Collins. He's not here by the way." She took off down the hall with Melissa, leaving Taranee there by herself. Although they may have possibly found the new guardian, no matter how out of the blue, Taranee couldn't help but feel down and guilty by what they had to give up to get to this point. _Who_ they had to give up. Will was in the hospital right now with a third degree burn on her face. Taranee couldn't tell if she became addicted to the heart, needed its help based off what Elyon told them, or wanted to be leader again. It could have been all three. Either way, Will was no longer a Guardian. Instead, she was now just a girl from Fadden Hills with amnesia, and a third degree burn on her face and eye. They never got to see how it turned out. Hopefully a little better.

With that thought in mind, Taranee turned and made her way through everyone else for Mr. Collins'. Maybe they should visit after school sometime. Irma and Melissa were already inside, waiting for her to arrive and passing the time by making idle conversation. Whatever they were talking about made a great discussion because Melissa was laughing. That was something to see. It was so elegant and had a sort of song to it. Taranee was just going to wait and see those guys line up at her home. Speaking of which…

Taranee sat into the seat next to Irma and asked Melissa, "So where do you live?"

Melissa looked to the ceiling for a moment to think of the street name. "Well, I don't know street names really well right now. So a block north, turn West and walk two blocks."

While Irma didn't get it, Taranee definitely did. And she didn't like it. _She lives on the same block as Will,_ she pinged to her. Then replied aloud. "Oh, alright. We're all sort of everywhere. I live near Sheffield Beach, Cornelia lives downtown, Irma lives by Wi—the store. Irma lives by the store and Hay-Lin lives with her Grandmother over the Silver Dragon. You'll like it."

"I'll take your word for it."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Everyone knew what time it was when that school bell rang. When one child ran across the snow-covered street and was followed by even more, the drivers of cars knew what that meant. It meant park your car, pull out your phone, and wait. Irma slid outside the school doors and sang loud and proud, "It's the weekend~! With a possible chance of no school monday!"

Hay-Lin skipped out behind her and asked, "Got anymore lyrics for that?"

Irma shrugged and answered, "We'll see. Come on, slowpokes! The snow is great and all but I'd rather not turn into a popsicle." Taranee, Cornelia, and Melissa walked out more carefully, annoying Irma little. "Come on, people! Jeez!" By the time they reached them, Irma was dancing and holding herself. "You guys are slow."

Taranee merely tapped her head then made her way past for the street. "And you're impatient. So what do you do for fun, Melissa?"

Melissa placed her empty hands in her pockets and answered, "Well a lot of things. Not freezing to death is one of them. Origami, reading, watching TV, ice skating—"

Cornelia gasped and asked, "You like Ice Skating too?! Girl you and I are gonna be the best of friends. I can see it now." She wrapped an arm around Melissa and pulled her close.

"And… that's pretty much it. I mean, shopping's fun. But money is tight."

Hay-Lin bent low and scooped up a bunch of a snow. "Yeah, I hear you. I'm nearly broke right now." She tried to put into a snowball, but it was too wet. So she merely tossed it back into Irma's coat. Then took off running away before she could start chasing her.

Gasping, Irma scooped up her own handful and followed right after her. "Get back here, Hay-Lin!"

Smirking, Taranee bent low and scooped up her own handfuls. Then turned around and tossed them into both Cornelia's and Melissa's coats. They were definitely two different people. While Cornelia went all haywire, Melissa got her own and played along. "Ugh! Taranee! This is an expensive coat! Ugh!" Cornelia scooped up her handful and threw it to Taranee. She missed though when she decided to run after Hay-Lin and Irma. Eventually they were all running and throwing snow at each other. Cornelia got her payback when she got Taranee in the face when they finally arrived at the Silver Dragon. Laughing and giggling, the girls filed inside and got warm for a moment.

"Well that was fun," Melissa stated. But then wrapped her arms around herself and said, "But I'm cold now, so… Was it worth it?"

Hay-Lin nodded and answered, "For a cup of that Hot Cocoa? Yes, ma'am! Come on!" After taking off their boots and shoes, Hay-Lin led them towards a door beside a stair near the kitchen and pushed it open. There was a pair of dark wooden stairs lit only by the faint glow of the light in the building that washed down the steps when the door was opened. Irma grabbed Hay-Lin by the shoulders and carefully moved her to the side. Then took the initiative and walked down the steps first. It was dark and silent outside and upstairs. Nothing changed even after she flipped the lights, bathing the hangout spot in orange. The lava lamps in the corners were relaxed and chill while the effect took place.

Irma hopped over the last step and landed on the concrete floor. Then stood up with her arms outstretched. "Welcome! To the cave of the Guar—"

Taranee slapped a hand over her mouth and said, "Of the Hay-Lin's house, yeah!" She leaned into Irma's ear while everyone else got comfortable and whispered, "Not until we verify."

Irma removed her hand and asked, "So _how_ exactly are we going to do that? We can't just say, 'Hi, we have superpowers'. Fwoosh, you catch on fire and she's all… Y'know."

Cornelia bumped in with Hay-Lin and whispered, "She's sitting there waiting, what are we whispering about?"

"How to break this to her. We never had to do this before, so…"

"Hey, guys?" They abandoned their circle and turned to Melissa who was scratching the back of her neck nervously. "If I'm making things aw….ah….ah…"

Cornelia gulped and grabbed the other girls. Then darted up the stairs before she sneezed.

"AHCHOO! AHCHOO!" Cornelia heard a whole bunch of stuff getting thrown around down there. Along with something shattering. And the building shaking.

Irma whispered, "I really hope that wasn't the TV."

Taranee nudged her and asked, "You wanna go check?" Before Irma could answer, she moved towards the door and peeked inside. Then timidly walked down the stairs. Melissa was anxiously and horrifically looking around at all the damage. Surprisingly, the TV was fine. It wasn't even affected, apart from everything else that was tossed out of their spaces and scattered in random spots. The thing that shattered was the glass pot on the side containing a rose, and the Lava Lamp by the TV. "Don't worry about it."

Melissa turned to face the other girls who were creepily smiling at her. She pointed at the broken lava lamp and said, "I am _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to sneeze like that, I swear! It just—"

"Hey, it's no big," Irma cut off. She raised her hand and levitated a tissue in front of her face. Melissa stared at it for a moment without any breathing. Rolling her eyes, Irma just wiped her nose and tossed it in the overflowing garbage bin nearby. Making a mental note it needed to be taken out soon.

Melissa pointed a shaking finger at Irma and stammered, "H-How'd you do that? The floaty thingy?"

"Oh that? Oh we can all do it. Sort of. I'm Irma Lair, Sheffield student and Guardian of Water." She waved her hand in a circle and created a twirling wave of water.

Cornelia stepped forward and added, "I'm Earth. There's nothing I can really do in here since there's no like… Dirt, but I'm over the land."

"I'm Taranee. Fire." Taranee raised her hand and created a fireball. Melissa yelped and jumped in surprise. Then directed her attention to Hay-Lin.

"I'm Hay-Lin. And I'm… Quintessence." Melissa wasn't sure, but it looked like everyone grew sad at that.

"Wh-What's Quintessence?" Melissa asked.

"Quintessence is life," Hay-Lin answered. She started using her powers to place everything else back where it as before. And after a few seconds it was, with the exception of the broken items. "Not the strongest, since everything here is equal. But still something to know. As Quintessence, I'm the leader of the Guardians of Kandrakar. Recently, we lost—"

"Wait, wait, hold on!" Melissa yelled. She raised her hands and asked, "So what, are you guys like… Superheroes or something? Oh gosh, this is big."

Taranee jumped onto a bean bag and answered, "In a way, yeah. But not of Earth. At least not yet. Take a seat and we'll tell you everything you need to know. And of course the reason we're telling you this."

 _Ten Minutes Later_

Cornelia was getting a little tired of this awkward silence. Melissa was still trying to comprehend the fact that these girls had powers. Let alone protected different worlds they literally walk onto. After a few more seconds she pointed at herself and asked, "So… I've been chosen as a new... Guardian? But I don't know _anything_ about this _stuff_."

Irma tossed the water ball she was juggling to Taranee across from her. She blasted it into vapor before it could hit her, then answered, "Neither were we. Here, catch." She tossed a fireball to Melissa who raised her hands in instinct. She blew it out and shook the lightbulb hanging overhead, wiggling it around. Then slowly looked at her hands like they were gold.

"Just don't tell anyone," Cornelia added finally. "The people of Earth aren't supposed to know. Not sure why, but it's always been like that."

Melissa looked at her with uncertainty. "So I have to keep this from my parents?"

"Yep. Don't worry, we've been doing it for two years now. They don't suspect a thing."

"Two years, huh?" Melissa looked at the group of girls in front of her. From the story they told her there were supposed to be five. But there were four here. "So… What happened to the other person?"

"She…" Taranee didn't really have a good answer. So she sighed and responded, "It's best she's left in the past right now."

"Oh…"

"But enough chit chat!" Irma called. She stood up and was about to say something but her cell phone ringing stopped that. Groaning, she whipped it out and looked at it. Then placed it by her ear. "Dad. Hello?" She locked eyes with Taranee and swiveled on her feet a little while listening. She sighed next and responded. "Okay. Thanks. I'll see you later." She removed the phone from her ear and hung up. "She's out. Heading home. Her mother wants us to go over there and make her comfortable. In an hour."

The three seethed through their teeth and exchanged nervous glances. Whatever they needed to do they really didn't want to.


	7. A New LIfe

**A New Life**

Getting out of bed was easy. Will had no idea why they were treating her like the most fragile thing on the planet. Once the wheelchair was pushed across the busy hospital floor into the room, Susan quickly rushed over to the side and helped Will out of bed by sitting her up, moving her legs out, and helping her stand. "Mom, I can do it myself," Will groaned. She could feel her cheeks blushing a little bit, thus wetting the cloth on the right side of her face with a bit of blood. It still needed healing. But the doctor assured her that it can heal on its own as long as they apply the cream everyday. No point in saying school wasn't an option. Whatever and _wherever_ the heck this Sheffield was.

"I know," Susan stated. "Now sit down. Come on." Will rolled her eyes and dropped down into the chair, taking note of the noticeable ache in her head. What was up with that? And where the heck was she again?

While they were locking her in, Will asked, "So where are we again?"

"Heatherfield," her father Tony answered. "It's two hundred miles away from Fadden Hills."

Will's mouth gaped open in something that the woman named Serena laughed at. She lightly hit Will's arm and stated, "You're okay here. You have friends, a family. And a life from what I hear."

Ignoring everything else, Will timidly asked, "I… Have friends?"

Susan nodded and answered, "Yep. Actually, I'm surprised they haven't showed up to visit you. Don't' take it the wrong way sweetheart, I'm sure they mean well. I'll give them a call." Susan patted Will's shoulder while the nurse rolled her out of the room, then turned a right. Meanwhile Susan whipped out her phone with a nagging thought. Why didn't Will's friends show up? This was a terrible life changing accident and according to her phone, didn't even text her. Strange. Sighing, Susan dialed Tom, Irma's father and put it to her ear. Then followed the nurse behind Will.

She shared a look with Dean who held the same. After a moment, the other line picked up. _"Tom Lair,"_ Tom greeted.

"Hey, Tom. It's Susan, Will's mother. I was calling to ask if Irma was around. Will is suffering from Dissociative Amnesia and I wanted to try and get her friends involved to help have her reacquainted into Heatherfield. She's being discharged."

" _They never showed up?"_ Tom asked. He was obviously aghast at this revelation. _"Okay, I'll give Irma a call. Are you heading to the house?"_

"Yeah, we're leaving the hospital right now." Susan stopped at the elevator and watched Will be backed up inside. Then walked in with with everyone else.

" _I'll have Irma and her friends meet you over there. I don't understand why she hasn't showed up yet."_

Susan only sighed and watched the doors shut. Then placed a hand on Will's shoulder and rubbed it reassuringly. "Me neither. Thank you, Tom."

" _You're welcome."_

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

The weight of the current situation pinned down the feet of the Guardians as they trudged through the heavy snow on the sidewalk. The cold atmosphere seemed fitting for what was about to happen. They had to see the true damage of what happened yesterday. Cornelia was trying to figure out why the hospital let her out so early. Taranee assured her since the most problems she'll experience were pain and blurriness in the eye that she didn't really need to stay too long. Just enough to have her recuperate, looked at, and adjust. After telling Melissa about her new powers, her role, and "what the heck happened", Melissa had to head home to her parents. They didn't know much about Heatherfield so they wanted her home by four, since it gets dark at five during the winter. Once she was out the door, Hay-Lin quickly motioned to never speak of Will around Melissa. The others quickly agreed. Then they grabbed their things and prepared to head out.

Leading them to now, standing a few feet down from Will's home. The sun's afternoon rays bounced off the piling snow, as well as their fearful faces. Her mother's red car was in front of the house, as well as a convertible behind it. With her hands in her pockets, Cornelia motioned to it and made known, "Looks like Will's dad is here."

Taranee huffed out a breath of hot air and adjusted her coat to stay warm. Then took the first steps forward. "Let's do this. She more than likely won't remember us."

Hay-Lin nodded and followed behind with everyone else. It wouldn't make anything easier, but it certainly helped them progress. The last brick townhouse was bright with lights, casting through windows. Will's room upstairs was also lit. Taranee walked up the stone steps to the door. Then took a deep breath and graced her face with a smile. Either to reassure herself or the others, there was no telling. She raised a finger and rang the doorbell. Afterwards, stuck her hand in her pocket and waited. She heard a few voices approach the door on the other side. Then the handle jiggled and was pulled in by… Dean.

He looked down at them for a moment. Then greeted, "Hi, girls. Come in, it's warmer." He stepped to the side and let them rush inside, then closed and locked the door back.

Once they were all settled in and were facing Dean, Cornelia was the first to ask. "So… how is she?"

Rubbing his forehead, Dean sighed and replied, "Honestly? _Already_ struggling. From what we can tell, Will can't remember anything after she got out of the hospital in Fadden Hills. She remembers still being there. It was before the court's decision to have her stay with her mother so when she woke up today, she was wondering when did they move her. She thinks she's twelve years old. And is a little scared. We're trying to make it as smooth a transition as possible. Now apart from that… The burn. It's _really_ bad. Like this entire section." He covered his right eye and the area between it and his nose, and his ear with his right hand. "It's really black, singed and not good at all right there. She hasn't seen it yet though. They covered everything up with gauze and want her to stay out of school, and have a cream applied every five hours. As well as painkillers."

Hay-Lin nodded. She figured something like that would happen. It was a really bad burn. Pushing that aside, she asked, "Where is she?"

Dean pointed up the stairs and answered, "Checking out her room with everyone else. Trying to get her comfortable. Give me a moment." Dean walked away and up the stairs, leaving the girls feeling alone at the bottom.

Cornelia sighed and whispered, "Jeez, Oracle. You erased the move down here too?"

"I see what he did," Hay-Lin stated. She looked from the floor she was staring at solemnly up to everyone else. "He removed even the _word_ Heatherfield from her mind. She knows nothing about this city."

"Well that's something," Irma muttered. "I guess."

They all focused on the noises up the stairs that were added by the faint creaking of the stairs. _Pretty smiles, girls,_ Hay-Lin reminded them. Dean walked down first and stepped to the side. Then Susan, holding Will's hand. Taranee admitted that everything else about her was really pretty. She looked and walked elegant. Short red hair clean. But that massive amount of gauze with tape on the rest side of her face sort of ruined everything. They didn't get a good look at the damage when Hay-Lin hit her, but do know that it wasn't going away anytime soon, if ever. The first thing Irma noticed about Will was that when she was bold before, she seemed more awkward and scared if anything now. Trying to avoid eye contact with them with the one good eye she had.

Susan seemed to notice the same thing. So deciding to take the floor, she placed her hands on Will's shoulders and explained, "These are the friends you made here in Heatherfield. I'll let them introduce themselves."

With a smile, Taranee stepped out and greeted, "Hi, Will. I'm Taranee Cook. We met on the first day you came to school."

Irma was next. "Hi, Will. I'm Irma Lair. My father's a police officer so you can imagine what I have to go through. This is Corny."

"Corn _elia_ Hale," Cornelia corrected. Hay-Lin and Taranee snickered while Will smirked. "I'm the fashionista." Irma shook her head at Will and gestured to her coat. "This is a very expensive coat!"

"I know."

"And I'm Hay-Lin," Hay-Lin greeted. "We're so glad you're okay. Hopefully we can make you comfortable again. We were waiting to make sure your family and everyone else got you comfortable first before we decided to visit."

 _Did you just come up with that?_ Taranee pinged her.

 _Yes I did._

Will nodded and responded timidly, "N-Nice to meet you all. I'm Wilhelmina."

 _Holy crap, she used her full name,_ Cornelia pinged. Then replied, "It's nice to meet you again."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

 _Nothing is better than home,_ was the thought that coursed through the mind of Melissa when she jumped onto her bed, flopping down face first into the comfortable cloud-soft comforter. Her bag and shoes were still on, but she was just too tired to take them off. Everything that happened today was so unbelievable. She has powers. Holy buck. Melissa sighed and struggled to take off her leather bag. Making a note in her mind that it was never smart to jump on the bed with it on. It was just infuriating to take off. Once she finally managed to, she sat up and looked around her room. Everything was back in place after this morning. The bed was right again, the wooden dressers on both sides were as well. Not to mention the lamps and such untouched. The pictures were still in front of the mirror, flawless of her and her family. A group of three. Her mom was somewhere downstairs cooking or something. Probably didn't even hear her walk in.

While Melissa inherited her father's brawn and strength, she inherited her mother's good looks. Tall, light brown eyes, and long flowing hair. Their white skin contrasted greatly with it, giving her that temptress look. "Something a lot of guys go for," her mother would say. But her father was on the strong side. While she and her mother were small, her father was big and tall. Six foot something. He always wore a muscle shirt or something. But his job doesn't require him to. He and mom were starting work soon and were at least supposed to dress business-casual. So like polo shirts, blue jeans, things of that nature. Melissa didn't know if her father could wear something like that.

She reached over to her bedside and grabbed one of the many family photos. Her father was on the left while her mother was on the right. Her dad had bright blue eyes and short black hair. And a baritone voice that couldn't be heard in a picture. It was strange to have a behemoth as your father.

"Stop making that face at your father's photo." Melissa shrieked and juggled the picture she dropped out of instinct. Then turned to the door. Her mother was smirking at her from the doorway, wiping her hands off on a dishtowel and wearing an Apron. "You always make that face when you're thinking about your father's overprotective nature."

Melissa groaned and excused, "But he wouldn't let people even _ask_ me out. He's really protective."

"He doesn't want a pregnancy." Melissa held that deadpan expression. "Don't give me that, I'd rather you not be pregnant either."

"Mom, you already know…" Melissa sighed and just rolled her eyes.

Her mother walked inside and made way for her daughter's annoyed look. "Yeah, I know. And _you_ know I support you. But hey. They could have a—"

"Mom!"

Her mother held up her hands and took a seat beside her, surrendering. "Okay, okay. How was your second day at school? And those girls you were telling me about?"

Now _that_ was something Melissa wanted to talk about. She brightened up and answered, "Well they're pretty cool. We hung out and played a few games at Hay-Lin's place. She lives with her grandmother at a chinese restaurant called the Silver Dragon. I didn't eat anything there, but it seems like that's their hangout spot, so I guess we'll hang out there."

"So they're your friends?" She laid a hand on her daughter's back and stroked it.

Melissa nodded and answered, "Yeah, I'd say we're pretty good friends."

"Great. I'm happy you're making friends here. Your father and I start work next week, so be ready to spend some time with them. We'll try to be home before it gets dark, but sometimes we may have to work later. Alright?"

Melissa nodded and answered with a thought in her mind, "That's alright. I'm sure I can find something _interesting_ to do."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Irma slammed the tray of school food down on their cafeteria table in front of her friends the next morning and plopped down into her seat. Groaning. " _That_ was awkward," she sighed. Then grabbed her milk carton and tried to open it. She was failing miserably.

Chewing her breakfast, Taranee asked, "Which part? Meeting 'Wilhelmina' formally, or telling Melissa she's a Guardian?"

"Can I say both? Because it was both." While Irma struggled to open her milk carton, Melissa decided to make an appearance.

She sat down on Irma's left wearing a leather coat and a toboggan. Then motioned towards the carton Irma was investigating like a science experiment. "Need some help?"

Irma sighed and pushed it her way. "Good luck. If I can't open it, no one can." Within two seconds, Melissa pushed it back her way, ready to drink. Irma gasped in surprise. Then turned to Melissa with furrowed eyebrows and demanded, "Tell me now."

She shrugged like it were no big deal. "I turned it around. You were poking at the wrong side." She pointed at the unopened area which showed signs of Irma's earlier struggles while the others snickered. So much that Cornelia was struggling to hold in her food. Irma merely sighed and ignored them so she could enjoy her milk. She needed it.

Taranee rolled her eyes and swallowed her breakfast. Then asked, "So what are we going to do about Vandom?"

Hay-Lin shook her head and answered, "Nothing right now. She's just a friend right now."

Intrigued and a little bored, Melissa inquired, "Who's 'Vandom?'"

Taranee wiped her hands off on her jeans and answered, "She's a… Friend?" She and the other girls shared unsure glances. There was no telling what Will was right now. So Taranee nodded and stated, "Friend. She's a friend of ours."

Melissa tapped her chin for a moment to think. Where has she heard that name before? It sounded familiar, yet not at the same time. "I've heard of that name before, I just can't remember—" She suddenly snapped her finger at Taranee, who jumped in surprise. "Mom! She told me about a neighbor named Vandom who's daughter was in the hospital for something."

 _Jeez, news spreads fast,_ Irma thought. But confirmed and answered, "Yeah, Will. She's in the hospital right now for a nasty burn. Remember that lightning bolt yesterday?"

Melissa slowly nodded and answered, "Yeaaah?" She had a feeling she wasn't going to like where this story went.

Irma really hated lying, but they needed to keep Will a secret from Melissa. "Will was beside a building that was struck. One large explosion later and she gets burned."

Melissa leaned back a little and seethed through her teeth. "Aw man. Had to hurt."

The sounds of Will's scream echoed through Hay-Lin's mind. She shivered and closed her eyes. "Yeah. Had to."

Melissa grabbed the orange from Cornelia's hand she was offering and asked, "So what's she like?"

Cornelia shrugged and answered, "Well… A little nervous and shy—at this moment," she quickly added. "She likes frogs, actually _loves_ frogs. If you were to walk in her room there's nothing but plushies of those things. She loves swimming, but I think some of those days are over."

Melissa gasped and asked, "Will likes frogs? _I_ like frogs! I'm not a fan of the poisonous ones though. Oh does Will know about the…." She leaned in and cupped her hand by her mouth, whispering. "Guardians?"

Hay-Lin quickly shook her head then proudly answered, "Nope, her mind is wiped clean." Taranee sighed in her mind, taking note of Hay-Lin's irony. It was true, but… Awkward to just say it like that.

"Cool. So… If my memory serves me correctly… There's like a level to this stuff right?"

"What do you mean 'Level'?" Cornelia repeated.

"There's like a higher-up or something."

"Oh, Kandrakar," Cornelia assumed. Melissa's look was just begging her for more information. So Cornelia set down her phone and elaborated further. "Kandrakar watches everything the Guardians do. They let us know of any major trouble and help us find solutions as well as, of course, watch us. The head guy is named Himerish, the Oracle. We'll show you to him later on."

"Cool." Melissa started peeling the orange, mind full of thoughts. But not on any Guardian business. This Will sounded interesting. She wanted to meet her if she were to be honest with herself. Maybe later on when she finally found the courage to talk to people who didn't talk to her first.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Even though her daughter was injured, Susan was grateful for the fact that she could actually stay home and watch her. Today was no different than yesterday. Will woke up confused, Susan walked in and assured her they lived here. Gave her some medicine then applied some cream to the burn. Each time she took off the gauze it made her flinch at what was underneath it. Those flames got her bad. All in all, her eye was just red and severely agitated. But other than that, the area around it was an entirely different story. Will said that she could still see, even if it were a little blurry and difficult. Susan suggested glasses, but Will said that she was just going to grow her hair and cut out the one for her left. Just to keep the right hidden. Susan was actually anxious to see what she looked like with longer hair. She's always had short hair. Long hair was something she'd like to see. Although the reason wasn't one she'd want for herself.

While Will was upstairs doing something with music and singing, Susan was downstairs feeding William some lunch. It was past one o'clock, but they didn't have anything else to do today. Susan was on that PTO she asked for and was immediately granted, leaving Dean the only one to work while she watched over Will. But she had to strain some carrots and other things before she could go up there though for an hourly check, which gave her enough time to listen to what Will was doing. Probably some dancing.

Will was actually skipping across the room floor. Whatever this medicine was they gave to her worked wonders for her mood. The radio on her dresser was playing something catchy. She really didn't care for the name, she just liked it. It made dressing up more fun. Will ducked into her closet and pulled out some clothes she doesn't remember buying. She just assumed mom bought it for her. One outfit she pulled out was a pink shirt and blue jeans. The pink shirt held a cute face of a frog on it. She looked at it with her good eye for a moment, imagining herself in it. With a smile she decided to let that be her outfit to lounge around the house in tomorrow. Nothing else was going on. Both mom and… Dean weren't letting her out of their sights for some reason. They wouldn't tell her why. Something had happened in the past that she couldn't remember. And they weren't making it easy **_to_** remember. Or didn't want her to really.

Sighing, Will tossed the clothes on the bed and looked around her room. Besides the simple music changing, it was quiet. Silent. Sad. She placed her left hand on her hip and reached up to just fiddle at the gauze all over her face. It was aggravating to just feel. She really didn't want to look at it. But she had to know. But not today. Will dropped her hand and crossed her arms. Then inhaled and exhaled deeply. If she had to be honest with herself, the friends she had in Fadden Hills were… Eccentric. But… At least she had someone to talk to.

"Will~!" Her mother sang downstairs. "Come down for lunch with your little brother!"

Casting one last look to herself in the mirror, she moved towards the door and pulled it open. Just like in her bedroom, the hall was bright but empty, save for the glow of the dark analog clock on the high wall above the table that was there for some reason. She walked around it and towards the dip in flooring at the end. The stairs that led towards the living room, kitchen, front door all of that stuff. When she first got here yesterday, she had no idea where everything was. Only that her room and a bathroom were upstairs. When Will walked out of the stairwell, the front door was a few ways in front of her, the living room on the left with two leather couches, a china cabinet, a small wooden dining table with a vase of flowers in the middle, and a small play area for William. There was a flat screen TV in the middle of a black entertainment center, filled with movies, music, and a whole lot of other things she didn't recognize.

On the right of her was the kitchen with a stainless steel fridge, a small round kitchen table, a stainless steel sink, cabinets above and below. Pretty standard. Her mother was placing a plate of food in the first available spot, which was right beside her own, wearing a housecoat. If you had nothing to do, apparently dressing in possible nothing but that was an amenity. Susan glanced up at the stairs Will was walking down with a frown on her face. Just a standard look for her. "I made Macaroni and Cheese with Hot Dogs for you," she said. Then gestured towards the chair, motioning to have a seat.

Will pursed her lips and pulled it out. Then sat down and scooted up to the table while Susan did the same on her immediate right. William was right across eyeing Will with wonder. His mouth was messy and partly open, eyes locking onto Will's available one in a frozen state. Susan and Will shared a glance then back to William. He turned to his mother with the same look. Smiling, she pointed at Will and whispered, "That's your sister. Say hi."

William blinked at her then turned back to Will. His curious eyes were making Will smile a little. Susan leaned over and whispered, "I don't think he gets you."

Will sighed and responded, " _I_ don't even get me." Then picked up her fork and started eating.

Susan neglected her own food in favor of watching her daughter eat, basking the entire house in nothing but the scraping of her fork and William's little sounds of food munching. After awhile she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." Will continued eating, despite those eyes burning into her skin, watching her every move. Both she and Susan knew she wasn't just going to let it go like that. Sighing through her nose, Will placed the fork down and sat back, coming to the decision to just answer the question. "I feel… Lonely, I guess. It's… Quiet here."

Susan nodded and asked, "Would you like to see your friends? Or have them come over? I'm sure they would."

Will shook her head and answered, "No. And to be honest, I can't see us being actual friends. We have nothing in common. Cornelia likes shopping and frilly stuff, Irma likes music and dancing, Taranee likes school way too much for my tastes, and Hay-Lin is just… Weird I guess. I heard she makes clothes. But I like none of those things. We have absolutely nothing in common. I don't think we could actually be friends."

"So you feel like it's not really a friendship?"

Will once again shook her head. "It's more like an acquaintanceship. They're just around for me to talk to. But I'd rather not go to them. Because things would just be… Weird. Strange."

Susan could tell sitting around the house all day doing nothing was going to drive Will up the wall. It was going to drive herself up the wall, if she were to be honest tooMaybe a friend would just show up for the both of them while they waited for Will's wounds to go down. A month wasn't enough for a full healing, but it was enough to start the process. Susan would really like Will to stay home during the time, but Will was really anxious to learn about Heatherfield. Again. So she decided school, wherever she goes to.

Susan sighed and responded, "Well, unless someone walks up and rings the doorbell, we're stuck with the girls that don't compare to you very well." Ironically, the doorbell rang around the house. Susan looked into the hallway. Then at Will who had a smirk on her face. Rolling her eyes with a smile, Susan stood up and made her way into the hallway. Who would be ringing the door at this time? Rarely anyone does at three. She grabbed the handle and pulled it open, coming face to face with a long straight black-haired woman, a man of a size she's never seen before, and a teenager that took after the woman. All with smiles. Obviously a family.

Susan asked, "Hi, can I help you?"

The woman was the first to respond. With a smile she reached out to shake Susan's hand. "Hi, I'm Keitlyn Cordeau. This is my husband Samuel and our daughter Melissa." Susan hook her hand, still trying to figure out why they were here. "We're new in town so we're introducing ourselves."

Then it clicked. Susan gasped and asked, "Oh, are you the new transfers for TechCom?" The two adults nodded. "Oh, that's great! Are you in this neighborhood? Wait, don't tell me. You moved in a few days ago across the street."

Samuel nodded and answered, "Yep, that was us. Newbies in Heatherfield."

"Oh, well welcome to Heatherfield! I've been here for quite a while now, it's a nice place to live at. Nothing out of the ordinary. Hey, you want to come in? It's just me, my daughter, and my son at this moment." Susan locked eyes with Melissa who seemed a little anxious to know what all the giggling and squeals from little William were inside.

"No, it's alright," Keitlyn began to deny.

"Are you sure? We have some snacks and beverages if you want some and I can tell you all about the best sights in town."

"Well… I guess it's fine." Susan stepped to the side and allowed them to walk in with a thought in mind. Get Will, or Wilhelmina a friend she could compare with.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Thought I'd go ahead and post another chapter for New Year's. Happy reading! The action scenes and mystery will start happening in a few weeks. I already have them written out! P.S. If you're interested in MLP, feel free to visit my fanfictions: bit.ly/FIM866


	8. Hello, Melissa

**Hello, Melissa**

When Melissa was told they were going to go out and greet the neighbors, she never expected the first neighbor they were going to meet were the Vandoms. The same family that her friends at school were telling her about. After walking in, Susan pointed to the coat rack next to the door and suggested, "You can put your coats here. You'll have to excuse Will, she just got into a bad accident recently and has a bunch of bandage on her facial area."

Keitlyn hung up her coat and fawned, "Oh, I heard about that on the news. A lightning bolt hit a building and a girl was hurt?"

William cheered and bubbered away in the kitchen, attracting their attention. A girl in there sighed and asked, "You _are_ trying to blow my cover aren't you? I knew it."

"Will, come greet the new neighbors!" Susan called. After taking one last bite, Will sighed and stood up. Then carefully patted down the gauze and walked out. The first thing she saw was the big guy in the doorway. It made her ask questions in her head as to why they were _really_ there. Then the mom and daughter. Melissa's eye unnoticeably twitched when she saw all the gauze all over her right eye. Other than that, Will looked… Good. Nice. Sweet. Susan wrapped an arm around Will, who was trying to avoid eye-contact and introduced her. "This is Will. Her real name's Wilhelmina but she likes Will. Will, this is the Cordeaus, they moved in recently and I'm going to be working with Keitlyn and Samuel. This is their daughter Melissa."

Melissa reached out and offered to shake her hand. "N-Nice to meet you," she stammered.

 _At least she's as nervous as I am,_ Will admitted to herself. She grabbed her hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you too." William cried out in the kitchen, making Susan jump into mom mode. She turned and made her way back, leaving Will with the Cordeaus. They immediately got off to an awkward start. Beginning the race to normal with trying to avoid eye contact. Melissa looked around the house while Will's eyes found something interesting about the floor. Maybe it was the color?

"...so," Melissa stammered. Will looked up. "I heard you attend Sheffield?"

"I attend what?" Will asked. She scratched her head and asked, "Is… Sheffield a school?"

"Er… Yeah." Keitlyn and Samuel exchanged a glance.

"Uhhh…. Mom, do I attend a Sheffield?"

Susan returned with the baby in her arms, heading for the living room across. "Yes, your father's your science teacher. You guys can come in here, have a seat." While Will tried to process that little tidbit, the adults walked towards the living room, leaving Melissa and Will to talk with each other in front of the door. It was obviously awkward, but things were always awkward when meeting new people. So they sort of just started off by still avoiding eye contact and listening to each other's parents talking in the living room.

But eventually, one of them had enough of the silence. Deciding to move this along, Melissa made known kindly, "Your friends Taranee, Hay-Lin, Irma, and Cornelia said they knew you. So…"

Will shrugged and responded, "I… Think so?"

Susan sighed and placed William on her lap. "Will has amnesia right now. Whatever that explosion did clonked out her brain at the moment. Don't be surprised if she doesn't remember anything. She forgot _a lot_ of stuff."

"Oh!" Melissa yelped, just like her parents. Then slowly nodded her head, totally getting it. So she needed to start off with new things. Not what she may have knew in the past. "Okay. So do you like music? Actually, I heard them say you like frogs."

"Er…"

"I like frogs."

Will craned her neck forward and slowly asked, "You do?" She found that hard to believe. How could a girl with hair like this like frogs?

Melissa nodded and answered, "I like the Panamanian Golden Frog. It's color is so vibrant."

That did it. Will jabbed her thumb to the stairs over her shoulder and asked, "I have stuffed frogs upstairs that I don't remember getting. Wanna help me try and figure out what they are, because I don't." Melissa shrugged and followed Will towards the stairs. "Mom, we're checking out my frog-drenched room." Along the way Melissa waved at her parents, who in turn waved back.

Susan looked their way and responded, "Okay, sweetheart! So this is William, he's fifteen months. He's a biter and…"

Will led Melissa through the dark upstairs hallway and turned a right into her bright room. The bed was on the center-left and her desk and closet on the right. Right beside the door on the left was a dresser with a mirror, makeup Melissa assumed, picture frames, and full of stuffed frogs, just like her bed. Will led Melissa inside and gestured to them. "Well there they are. One of the many things in here that I don't even know the names of."

Melissa gasped in glee. There were so many! And _too_ cute! She squealed and instinctively picked one up. Squeezing it to her chest like a doll she had when she was a kid and swiveling her body around. Will just smirked at her and sat down on her bed. "Oh my gosh, these are _too_ cute! I would ask you where you got these, but… Yeah…"

Will chuckled and grabbed her own from behind. It was an all green one as big as her torso that she pulled to her chest and sighed. "Yeah, I have no idea what happened to me. You can sit down." Melissa smiled and sat down next to her before she continued. "But whatever it was made dad put a lock on the window." She gestured with her head towards the only window in the room. At the bottom was a lock connecting to two slabs of wood. One connected to the window sill and the window frame. Right in between them, holding them together.

Melissa flinched and suggested, "Yeesh. Maybe it's best if you don't remember if it was that bad."

Will shrugged and responded, "I guess. So, Melissa!" She slapped the comforter between them and turned to her with a smile. "What's Sheffield like?"

"It's… Eh." Melissa bit at the air in an attempt to come up with a more reasonable answer. "Well the school has… Three floors, a gym, a pool. And… A cafeteria. And I'm in a class with your dad I think."

Will snorted but made no effort to try and cover her mouth. She recovered and commented, "I _hope_ they have a cafeteria. And a pool? I love swimming."

Melissa gasped and responded, "I love swimming too! So I used to swim for a team back in New Jersey. Not the best but it gave me something to do. New Jersey was fun, but all the areas I lived in were so far away from the fun stuff. Heatherfield, I hear, has more fun things to do."

Will shrugged and motioned towards her head with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, I hope so too."

Melissa looked her up and down. She was obviously a little sad about a few things. "So… Does it hurt right now?"

Will shrugged and faced her desk, answering, "I'm taking medicine for the pain, so I've never felt the full effects. For my eye and my face. I haven't even seen it yet. The only ones who have were the doctor, mom, step-dad, my step-mom I think, and my real dad. No one else has seen it. Not even me. It's really tempting to just pull off, but I don't think I can do that. At least not right now. I know it's really bad, so I'm going to grow my hair out first. Then take it off so I can quickly cover it back up."

Melissa raised her hands and positioned them like a frame on Will's smirking face. "Yeah… I can see you with long hair. And according to these pictures, it'd be a new look on you." She stood up and plucked a photo off of Will's dresser. It looked like Will was really comfortable with her around so Melissa decided to be comfortable too. She looked it over and smiled. It was of Will at what looked like a birthday party. Melissa raised it and looked to Will to compliment, "You look great in this picture."

Will focused on the picture and asked, "Really? I wasn't smiling. Like, at all. Are you sure about that?"

Melissa chuckled and clarified, "The rebellious look made you look cute. So keep it that way."

"Gee, thanks," Will bit in a playful way. "I think I'll just continue being grumpy then."

Melissa giggled and placed the picture back down on her desk. Then sat once more on the bed next to Will. "Well Grumpy Kitten, I think this is the start of a wonderful friendship. Technically, we're two new girls in town who have no idea what anything is, where to go, or what to do."

Will slightly bumped her with her arm playfully, smiling at the ground. "Eh, we'll figure it out."

"What about your friends?"

Will lost her smile and answered, "I don't know if we're like really… 'Friends'. More like classmates. We don't really have much in common."

Melissa set the yellow frog she was holding hostage in a death grip back on her bed and shrugged. "Sometimes you don't have to have common traits. Maybe a common hobby or something."

Will tossed her frog behind her and responded, "Well I don't know what we bonded over for us to be a thing. So I don't really consider us as friends."

"Oh… Am _I_ your friend at least?"

Will looked at her aghast. "How are we _not_ friends?! Yes, we're friends, Melissa." She reached out and pulled her into a hug that Melissa happily reciprocated. "Just don't hurt me, alright?" Will whispered.

Melissa wasn't sure why she had to ask that but responded, "Never. You're safe with me."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Lunch was boring. Students talking amongst their cliques and doing nothing for thirty minutes was the fun part. But thirty minutes compared to seven hours of learning was short. That was the second thing Melissa thought while making her way through everyone else to their usual table that strangely never gets touched. By anyone else _but_ them that she knew of. That thought didn't stop her from plopping down into the seat next to Taranee while she and Irma were in the middle of a discussion.

Taranee sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying that she may, or may not be."

Irma rolled her eyes and took a bite out of the burger she had gripped in her hands. "She's not."

"But what if she is?"

"She's not though."

Melissa leaned in and whispered, "What are you talking about? You know what? No. Why didn't you guys introduce me to Will before?"

Taranee and Irma froze and shared the same look, minds with the same thing. What did she mean by that? Did she know that Will used to be a Guardian?! Oh god, no. Taranee was the first to ask, "What do you mean?"

"Vandom? _Will_ Vandom? She lives right across the street from me. You're friends right, why didn't you guys say something? Just because she has amnesia doesn't mean she's not one of you."

Crickets were doing a chorus in Irma's head. "...what?"

Taranee just shook her head. That wasn't really important. Well… not right now. She placed a hand on Melissa's shoulder and whispered, "We're taking you to the Oracle soon to get you used to everything. You get to hear a tale, see your Guardian form, and learn what's currently happening."

Melissa leaned back and asked, "Are these guys mean?"

While chewing, Irma wiggled a finger at her and answered, "Luba's a mean kitty."

"What?"

Taranee rolled her eyes and answered, "These are the nicest old guys I've ever met. Although, Irma's right. One of them is named Luba and she's… Uhh... She isn't afraid to scratch. So just watch what you say to her. Her and Irma are already on tense terms."

Melissa glanced at Irma who seemed to let Taranee talk and pay more attention to her food. "Er… Okay," she coalesced. Then grabbed the wrapped sandwich on her plate and asked, "So where are they located?"

"They're in Kandrakar. There's a special method of getting there that only we know. All of that stuff you'll know this afternoon. Just come with us after school."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

The last thing Susan expected to see was Will… Happy. She wasn't over the moon, but her mood had greatly increased. It seemed that her and Melissa hit it off great. Will was still a little bummed that she couldn't go anywhere right now because her mom was keeping her "clean." But these two weeks of bonding with each other had made Will more relaxed and calm. A lot more than those pills she were taking. The only problem now would be when it was finally time to take off this gauze. Will's face would never be the same. Susan could tell right now, applying another layer of cream to her singed skin in the kitchen. She had Will sit in a chair and face her, away from the steel appliances.

They never did it near a reflective area just to keep Will from looking at it. Susan could tell she was getting antsy and a little impatient. Even now and then she would try to turn towards the steel just to get a tiny glimpse. And Susan had to repeatedly turn her back. Eventually, she got tired and settled for a pleasant distraction. "So, why were you skipping through the hallways this morning? And don't say it was the medicine."

Susan was sure she imagined it, but Will possibly blushed and answered, "I… I can't really explain it."

Finished with the cream, Susan grabbed the dishcloth and wiped her hands off. Then grabbed the roll of gauze and positioned it over Will's head. "Well can you _describe_ it for me?"

While unrolling the material, Will glanced around to try and come up with some words. "Well… Have you ever had that feeling of… Okay, so have you ever had a warm feeling in your heart?"

 _Oh boy,_ Susan thought. She continued wrapping Will's right side in gauze and answered, "Yeah. I know exactly what that is."

"Well I… Get that feeling around Melissa. The others I usually don't talk to. Actually, I haven't seen them for a while. But that's okay, I mean… Me and Melissa hang out a lot more than a lot."

Susan hummed and nodded. "Okay, I see. Well if anything changes, let me know alright?" She cut the gauze and held it with her thumb and index finger. Then placed down the roll and grabbed a clip with her free hand. She turned back to Will and clipped it in place. "That feeling you're feeling might be something you've never felt before. But actually have plenty of times."

Will glanced around awkwardly and asked slowly, "So are you going to tell me what it is?"

Susan shook her head and answered, "No. But you'll see eventually. I promise."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

There's going to be some more action in this story, I assure you. Right now, I'm just setting up the background. Everything is going to fall into place and there may in fact be more characters. Just bare with me, alright? Cools. Oh and yeah, there's romance too.


	9. I Think The Feeling's Mutual

**I Think The Feeling's Mutual**

Even though the snow stopped, it was still really cold. The cars had icicles on the bottom, patterned with salt marks from the DOT Salt Trucks, and the roads were really slick. Not to mention the snow hasn't entirely melted. All the Guardians wore thick coats and gloves to school. Hay-Lin managed to choose today, a Wednesday to be the one day they take Melissa to Kandracar. Nothing was better than the present and her parents were at work. But then Will came along and turned the present into the past. Melissa and her became the best of pals lately. Taranee stated she would have thought they were sisters. Cornelia said girlfriends.

Well today Will had to do something that Melissa couldn't remember, so it was a great day to kick it off. Something about a book she found in her room. All five were slowly making their way through traffic and snow to a construction site on the edge of downtown. It wasn't operational during the winter and this area of downtown was free of any, making it the perfect spot. The area was closed off by an industry class fence they just pushed open. The structure was supposed to be an Elite skyscraper. They just had no idea for who. It was in its concrete stage. Which meant dirt ground and concrete skeleton. Melissa looked up at the structure in front of them and asked, "So… what do we do first?"

Finding this a perfect spot, Hay-Lin stopped and swiveled around on the ball of her feet, ceasing their advance. Smiling, she answered, "Well first, we have to see what you look like as a Guardian. We're going to change into our forms, show you a few things, then take you to Kandracar to meet the guys in charge."

Watching Hay-Lin fiddling with her coat, Melissa asked, "Is this gonna hurt?"

Taranee shook her head from her right. "No. You pretty much won't know it happened until… it happened."

Cornelia crossed her arms and watched Hay-Lin struggle to open that big ol' blue coat. "So… You get it yet? You have so much fluff on right now."

"Er… almost—got it!" She successfully unzipped her coat and pulled it open, showing off the pink outfit she wore to school today. Melissa was about to ask how was she _not_ freezing yet, but decided against it. She didn't want to drop a bunch of cold water on the mood. Reaching through the collar of her sweater, Hay-Lin pulled out the Heart of Kandracar and held it up. "Okay, so here we go. Just let it happen, Melissa. It's strange the first time. Guardians, unite!" The gem in Hay-Lin's hands flashed, blinding Melissa's sights for a few seconds. As if she were staring at the sun. Then she felt her body going through all sorts of weird changes she couldn't explain. A tingle in her back, the shocking of nerves in the spine, all types of things. And just as quick as it began, it ended.

"...Melissa? You can open your eyes now." Melissa slowly followed Taranee's request. She admitted to herself she was scared about what was going to happen now. But what she saw blew her mind to bits. They… Were _adults_?! They were all taller and looked like grown women! Wearing weird clothing that were themed purple and a dark teal color, as well as a lighter one. And they had wings?!

Melissa pointed to Taranee and asked, "You have wings? We have wings?" She looked over her shoulder and squealed at the little ones on her back. "Ohhh, this is so cool! But…" She turned to the others and asked, "Why are we older?"

Irma shrugged and answered, "I don't know. But… We are. Not underneath the Guardian bit though, so don't worry about coming back home trying to explain to your parents when'd you hit a growth spurt. Cornelia already had that issue with Taranee's brother."

Cornelia jabbed Irma in the side, successfully getting a grunt out of her. Hay-Lin rolled her eyes and turned around with the Heart raised. "Come on, we have to get to Kandrakar," she ordered over her shoulder. Then added, "Just relax, Melissa. You'll learn about a few more things once we get there." She gripped the Heart a little then swung her arm diagonally vertical, creating a blinding blue rip in reality. Melissa gasped but just like Hay-Lin said, relaxed. This was the new normal. The way things work here. Just relax. Relax, relax, re—

"So you comin' or what?" Cornelia asked, breaking her out of her trance. She was sticking her head out of the rift smirking at her.

Melissa nodded and took a deep breath. Then slowly walked across the concrete through the rift with confidence and determination. Her right clothed foot stepped out onto a stone platform before the rest of her body walked out with closed eyes. Once she was good and still she opened her eyes and focused on the stairs that led up to the massive castle-like building in front of her. Then she looked around her with a gaping mouth. Besides this building, there was nothing but white clouds and blue sky. Whispering in awe without taking her eyes off her surroundings, Melissa asked, "Is this… A castle in the sky? Where are we?"

Taranee looped an arm around her neck and answered proudly, "Welcome to Kandrakar! Inhabited by… Not one, not two, and **definitely** not **_fifty_** people!" She turned and led Melissa up the staircase with the rest of the girls. _She has Will's outfit,_ Hay-Lin pinged to her. Taranee glanced quickly at Melissa and discovered that she was right. The long-sleeved crop top exposing her midriff, the skirt, and the long leggings. Not to mention the elf-like flats they all have. Shaking her head unnoticeably, Taranee moved on, along with the rest of them. "The only ones who reside here are the Congregation. The Oracle and a few others I really don't feel like naming right now. You're just going to have to meet them."

Cornelia took to the air and buzzed over Melissa's head. She tapped the top, getting her to look up into her grinning face. "As the air guardian, Flying sort of just comes natural to you," she explained. "You'll see what I mean in the future." Cornelia sped up and zoomed ahead of them. Coming to a hover over the large bridge that led to the other side. The other guardians were more comfortable walking across it than Melissa was. Evident by her pretty much running past the others to the other side. She nearly slipped on the glossy reflective surface. All of this was blowing away Melissa's mind. First the way she looks, then the rip in reality. Now the castle that's literally floating on the clouds.

She kneeled down and peeked over the edge of the bridge towards the glossy and shimmering floor way down below. It was so quiet and peaceful here. Majestic. Something that made her feel safe. Hay-Lin joined her and looked over too when they reached Melissa. "So you like it so far?" She asked.

Without taking her eyes off, Melissa nodded and whispered, "It's... Peaceful here."

Hay-Lin shrugged and stood up. Followed shortly by Melissa. "Not always," she stated. "We'll tell you more about it later." Melissa watched her walk away for a few seconds then directed her attention back to the aura of peace around her in the glowing castle of magnificence. There was no other sign of life here. So far anyway. Sighing, Melissa followed the other guardians down the rest of the way in peace and quiet. Whatever this Congregation was seemed to be the most important. So they continued straight, coming to a bisecting perpendicular hallway that seemed to go around in a circle. Right across were two pairs of doors that Taranee pointed to.

"This is the Congregation hall," she explained. "It holds the Council who makes all the big decisions while we just follow orders."

Melissa leaned over and asked, "Should I be careful?"

From her left, Cornelia shook her head and answered, "Not really. The only person you should watch what you say around is Luba."

"The catwoman?"

"Yeah, like that? The only person who really calls her that who she can tolerate is Irma. No one else even says it. Just call her Luba." Melissa nodded and gulped down her fear. She was about to meet the heads. The Executives. Do they make any last minute decisions she should be warned about? Any reprimands? While Melissa was contemplating on her future, Irma skipped up to the door and knocked. Note: Be prepared for anything.

From the other side, a voice boomed, "Enter, Guardians."

Irma looked over her shoulder and made a "perfect" hand sign. Then pushed the doors wide open and walked in, letting Melissa see the chamber. The inside had high ascending benches wrapping around the front area of the chamber, which had a bunch of open spaces that led to the outside world holding nothing but clouds and a blue sky. Those on the benches were wearing what looked like white robes. But it could be another color. Melissa could feel all the eyes on her when she finally but cautiously and nervously stepped into the room. Taking in everything. From the clean smooth floor to the very high ceiling. "Welcome, Guardians." Melissa directed her attention from the floor to the front of the room where all the people wearing white were sitting. There weren't that many, maybe ten or eleven. But they seemed really smart.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" Melissa looked to her right at the most youngest out of all of them. Definitely a teenager. She spotted a familiar girl with straw blonde hair with a silver like ring on her head over it. The longest bit of hair on both sides were bearing two large rings that went down to her elbows, nearly to her waistline. She had grayish-blue eyes and a strange aura of youth around her. Melissa couldn't help but think she was royalty. But she also looked familiar.

Melissa glanced around and answered, "I… I think so?"

Cornelia threw an arm around her shoulders and clarified, "This is Melissa. You almost ran into her when you told us _you know who_ was loose. Melissa, this is Queen Elyon of Meridian, or Metamoor. But she used to be on Earth."

"Ohhh! Hi!" Elyon greeted. "I didn't know you were a guardian. When did this happen?" Cornelia dropped the smile for a deadpan look. Trying to give her here answer. "Ohhh! Oh, right, yeah. I nearly forgot about that."

Melissa didn't know what that meant. So she went ahead and waved a little. But accidentally made a strong breeze blow through, surprising her. She yelped and jumped up from the sudden cool contact, flying straight up. Taranee and everyone else followed her movements. Somehow between when she jumped and nearly hit the ceiling she activated her wings. Now all eyes were on her screaming and jetting form, zipping back and forth around the chamber. She was waving her arms and screaming like a dying chicken, according to Irma's whisper.

"Someone get me down!"

Taranee sighed, figuring she better do it. Flapping her own wings, she zipped up to Melissa and caught her by grabbing her from underneath the arms and looping her hands together in front of her. "Relax, relax," she ordered. "Your wings are slapping my face."

Melissa froze up, freezing all of her body while Taranee gently lowered her to the ground. She could feel the embarrassment rush to her face. She was sure her head looked like a bright red cherry by the time her feet touched the floor once again. Irma glanced between Melissa and the Council. They were all a little awkward by this point. Kind of hard to get the screaming flying girl out of your head. Taking note of Melissa's utter embarrassment, Hay-Lin rubbed the back of her neck and seethed through her teeth. "We're going to get her into some training later on this week before we do anything else. Hopefully in time before anything else pops up."

The bald guy that Melissa saw before anyone else nodded and smiled. "See that it's done. Hello, Melissa. My name is Himerish. The Oracle."

Melissa wasn't surprised he knew her name. He's called _The Oracle_. Pretty much spells all-knowing. She shyly waved and greeted, "Hello, Himerish. And… Everyone else."

Queen Elyon waved and greeted, "Hello, Melissa."

Himerish nodded and hummed. He had a feeling this girl was going to be of big help. "We hope you adjust quickly to this new atmosphere," he stated. Then gestured to the rest of the Council. "If you ever need assistance, we'll be around to help. I hope now you can get started on the investigation, Hay-Lin."

Hay-Lin nodded and answered, "We'll train and work at the same time."

Melissa was a little confused, not to mention left out. Everyone else around her seemed serious, she wanted to be serious too. So Melissa raised her hand and asked, "Umm, I'm sorry, but wh-what are you talking about?"

From the front, Elyon stood up and decided to take this one. "You being chosen as the new Guardian of Air was no accident. The Heart of Kandracar was recently given to Hay-Lin because of a prophecy. I'll let the Oracle read it for you."

The Oracle reached behind him and pulled out an old scroll. Where'd he get that from? Melissa paid it no mind, things were becoming interesting. A prophecy? About what? Looks like she was about to find out. Himerish cleared his throat and unrolled the scroll. Then read aloud, "'A new evil will begin to take root after one feels lost, alone, and without purpose. They create their own path, creating damage along the way. A new leader will be chosen and abilities switched to prepare for this new evil. The Lost One.' We know for a fact that Hay-Lin is the New Leader, the Keeper of the Heart of Kandracar. We just have no idea who The Lost One is. Our goal is to find out who they are, since there was no name. We believe they are a person going through possible turmoil, physical pain, emotional pain, mental pain, or something else. All we know… Is that there is no name and we have to find them."

Melissa raised her hand while he rolled it up and asked, "So what happened to the… Last Guardian of Air?" Melissa wasn't entirely sure, but the mood in the room possibly got all sad. Everyone tried to avoid eye contact and looked around.

Elyon sighed and answered, "Honestly? She was demoted. She is no longer with the Guardians."

"...oh… You can do that?"

Elyon pointed to Himerish and answered, " _He_ can. I can't. But now we're moving on to important matters. Whoever this person or being is, they're described as powerful. But so was Nerissa, and Phobos. We know we can take them. We just have to know who and where they are. That is your mission: To track down The Lost One and bring them to us."

The Guardians nodded while Hay-Lin responded, "We'll find them. But we may have to go to the other worlds during the weekend and ask questions."

The Oracle nodded in agreement and sat back down. "That is fine, just make sure they are found. We are sure the Prophecy is in full play by now."

"We will." Hay-Lin turned around and began to lead everyone out the door.

"One more thing girls." The turned around and faced Elyon. Melissa was trying to understand how could someone so young rule an entire kingdom. But she just rolled with it. "How is she?" She asked.

Melissa didn't know who "She" was but took it that she meant the last Guardian of Air. She saw Irma swallow hard and answer, "She's… Adjusting. But she's fine."

Elyon nodded and raised a staff out of nowhere. She sliced it in front of her and created a rift just like Hay-Lin did earlier. "Stay in touch," she said.

Cornelia scoffed and responded, "Oh yeah, we'll just send you a letter to zero-zero-zero-zero Meridian Castle Avenue in Unknown city, unknown world, unknown state. Zip Code: no number."

Elyon stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry, but Melissa could tell it was all in good fun. Then with a smile, she waved and stepped on through. It was really cool on how they were able to travel through places without wasting any time. Speaking of which, it seemed Hay-Lin already set up the rift for them and were waiting for her. Once she was ready Melissa waved to the council and stepped out first, disappearing in a flash and out onto the cold atmosphere of Heatherfield of Earth. What was really strange about this was the fact that she had pretty much nothing on in this twenty-degree weather, and she wasn't really all that cold. Chilly, yes. Popsicle, no.

But that quickly ended because the next second she saw nothing but white, felt the tingles, and was back in her warm coat and toboggan. And shorter. Hay-Lin lowered the Heart and tucked it back in her shirt. Then approached Melissa from behind while everyone else adjusted themselves. "How ya' feelin?" She asked.

Melissa whipped around and responded straight to the point, "Honestly? Scared. That prophecy to me didn't sound really nice."

Hay-Lin shrugged her shoulders and responded, "All the bad guys we face aren't." She waved a hand and led the group back to Heatherfield. According to Melissa's phone, they were gone for only thirty minutes. Pretty calm. But she had a feeling that would only last but so long. Cornelia bumped in and whispered, "Sometimes we're gone for a whole day." Yep, there it is.

After opening the fence and walking along the mostly empty sidewalks, Melissa asked, "So you guys aren't worried about this?"

Taranee shrugged and answered, "To me it sounded like a kid just needs a good talking to."

Irma shook her head and replied, "No I think it's just someone that has a few anger issues. We just have to find them and take 'em down. We've done this plenty of times before."

"But… Then why did a new leader get chosen? Isn't that just a _little_ bit odd."

Hay Lin led them around a corner and onto a busy street that looked like a house was hosting a party. For High Schoolers. "Maybe a little. But we'll deal with it when the time calls for it. First we have to start by _investigating_ this weekend. Then _discovery_ later."

"Well… Alright. But I just want you to know there may be more to it than just a possibly unstable kid."

"We'll deal with it when it happens."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Will couldn't stop staring at the television screen in front of her. The living room was dark and empty, but she could hear her mother in the kitchen knocking and closing cabinets around behind her. She was cooking something. Even sometimes walking into the doorway and watching Will groan and mumble at the "boring" shows. Many of her favorite ones were cancelled and she kept asking about it. "Mom, where's January's Friday? I can't find it!"

Susan sighed and took off her apron. She had to prepare for this one. Will was utterly addicted to some of these shows. January's Friday was an old cartoon of all corny comedy that had been canceled shortly after they moved. It was her number one favorite. Will was upset when that happened. But she was there when it was. This time, she's… Almost four years late. And she hates being late and last to know about things. With a gameplan in mind, Susan turned around and walked out of the kitchen into the hallway that was connected to the living room, slowly of course. "Will, sweetie? January's Friday was… Cancelled nearly five years ago."

Will slowly turned around with a truly devastating expression. Her mouth was wide open, just like the eye that Susan could see. Full of disappointment. Susan was waiting for her moods to swing _way_ out, right through that window with that remote in her hand. Will instead took the remote and just threw it to the couch across from her. "Dammit!"

 _Where did she learn that language?!_ Susan asked herself. She definitely didn't get it from her. Or her father, he never curses. "Watch your language," Susan scolded. "No one likes a potty mouth."

"They cancelled my show?! Why?!" Will asked. Then buried her face in her hands, instantly regretting that decision. "Ow, my face!"

Susan started to walk over and console her when the phone rang next to her. It was a house phone with a rechargeable base. So she grabbed it and carried it with her to the couch. A little surprised at the ID, she whispered, "The Cordeaus." Susan sat down and slid an arm around Will, rubbing her shoulder. Then answered the phone and put it to her ear. "Hello?... Hey, Keitlyn, how are you?... Yeah, that's great. Can't wait to see you guys at work when I come back... Uh huh… Yeah, she's right here next to me." Will abandoned her sob fest and looked up at her mother. They were obviously talking about her, what other _she_ was in the house? "...yeah, of course." Susan held the phone out to Will and whispered, "It's Melissa."

 _Melissa?!_ Her whole demeanor changed when Will pretty snatched the phone out of her hand and lifted it to her ear. "H-Hello?" She whispered. Susan smirked and got the idea that she should leave her daughter to her conversation. So she stood up and walked back to the kitchen.

"Hey, Will. How are you?" Melissa asked. She was upstairs in her room creepily looking out her window to the home directly across the street. She couldn't see the light on in Will's bedroom so she assumed she was somewhere else. Most of the time when she would call she would be upstairs doing something and would wave to her.

Will sniffled and whispered, "I'm upset."

Uh oh. "What's wrong?" Melissa urgently asked.

"I-I just found out they cancelled my favorite show! January's Friday!"

 _Yeesh,_ Melissa thought. There must be some tears going down across the street. "Awww, yeah. I think it was cancelled because of low ratings or something a long time ago. I can't really remember but their time slots were taken by some other show."

Will grumbled and glared at the television. It was currently on the same station January's Friday used to be on, now advertising some stupid Taco business. "Yeah, I can see that," she snarled.

Susan peeked in and whispered, "Do you need the medicine, sweetie?"

"No, mom."

Melissa sighed and thought of something. Will usually thought up of plenty things to say for an ongoing conversation, but it looked like it was her time. "Sooo… Three new girls started today. I definitely have something against them."

" _Jeez, Melissa,"_ Will responded from the other side. _"They just started, give them a chance."_

 _Got your attention,_ Melissa thought. She backed up and sat down on her bed. Then let herself fall on the mattress and lied down on her back. "No way. Two of them are twins, and one of them is like really mean. She thinks she owns the place. And get this, she just started. All three of them did. Today. They're in Dean's class, your father's."

Will giggled and asked, "What does the one who _isn't_ a twin look like?"

Melissa grinned and propped one foot on a knee, wiggling her toes while her happy eyes were to the ceiling. "She's one of _those_ girls. You know. Tall, blonde, and thinks the world revolves around her."

While setting the table, Susan heard Will giggling and laughing a lot in the living room. Must be a really funny conversation to be laughing like that. Susan must really thank Melissa for finding all these great times to just call whenever Will gets upset. Ever since they started talking she would call everyday. Susan might just let Will go over there tomorrow. "You're so funny," Will whispered. "Stop making me laugh so much." Susan held a hand over her mouth and ducked around the corner to watch her daughter. _This would explain so much,_ she thought.

Will was twirling her hair around a finger and possibly grinning. Susan couldn't really tell, her back was to the kitchen. Melissa said something on the end that made Will giggle again. "...thanks, Melissa," she whispered. "You're really sweet."

 _Yep, she is definitely crushing._ Susan smiled and got back to the kitchen. Leaving Will to her privacy once more. She really needed it this time.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

All lights were off by nine, leaving Will to her thoughts. The only noise in her room was the clock ticking on the nightstand, leaving the air ominous. But in Will's mind, she was plagued with questions. She stared up at the bright ceiling, glowing from the moonlight that was filtering in through the open window curtain. Usually at night on days like this, when the moon was bright in the sky, Will would leave her curtain open, just to look through. The moon just happened to be shining straight through her curtains, basking everything in glowing white. But that wasn't what was on her mind.

Melissa. Why couldn't she get her out of her head? It was keeping her from sleeping. She needed a sleeping pill. She needed some comfort. She needed… Will sighed and turned in her bed towards the window. Even though the moon was directly across, it was actually over Melissa's home. So staring at the moon meant staring at Melissa. Maybe she was staring over here tonight. Maybe…

Will sighed and flipped the covers off of her. She couldn't sleep like this. It was going to drive her even more crazy than she felt for forgetting four years worth of memories. So instead she stood up and silently made her way over to her window. She grabbed the chair in front of her desk on the right and softly set it down in front of her. Then sat down in it and laid her arms on the window sill, feeling the steel of the lock bounding it together. She stared across at the closed window shade of Melissa's room, placing her head on her crossed arms. There was nothing else going on over there. Just like their house, all the lights were off and it was quiet. The streets below were vacant of any pedestrians or anyone else.

So quiet, so peaceful. Will could—oh my god, the window shade for Melissa's room is moving. What's going on over there? Will squinted and rubbed her tired eye a little more so she could see what was going on a little better. Was Melissa doing something to her room? Were her parents in there or something? Keitlyn seemed nice. She preferred Will call her that instead of Mrs. Cordeau for some odd reason. Either way, that curtain just slid open.

Melissa. What was she doing up? Was she… Oh my god, she is. She's staring right over here. In the exact same position Will was. But instead of a frown she was smiling. But she immediately lost that when she saw Will. They both sat up and stared at each other across the street. It was a little awkward. While Will chose to wear like Sports clothes to bed, apparently Melissa chose to wear undergarments. She was sporting a lacey pink bra that Will could make out. It was burning a picture into her mind. Melissa apparently received the picture, because she looked down at herself then quickly covered up with her hands. She was blushing, definitely. And really embarrassed. But Will raised her hand, stopping her from moving the curtain. Melissa obviously didn't understand why, but stopped her movements anyway and just stared back at Will.

Melissa had no idea what she was feeling, but decided to do what she would in the past. She let go of the curtain and covered her mouth with a hand. Then blew a kiss to Will. She wasn't sure how she would react to that but she definitely saw it. Will's sudden jumping made her grin a little. Was she that surprised? It was a little cute. Will looked over her shoulder for a moment, hoping that her parents didn't hear the chair scuffing in her room. Then turned back to the window. She didn't know what Melissa meant by that, but one thing was for sure: She liked it. It made that feeling in her heart come back. It was a good feeling. And she wanted it to last forever.

Melissa was completely shocked when she saw Will lift her hand up to her mouth and blow her a kiss too. A little shocked, but… Happy too. Did this mean something? She needed more verification. But it looked like she wasn't going to get any tonight. Will waved at her then closed the curtain a little. Oh no. Did she mess up? Did she just ruin their friendship? Oh no, please don't let that happen. She was really comfortable around Will. That really long red hair was beginning to strike out at her. As well as her attitude. She needed to talk to her tomorrow. And if not tomorrow, then soon.

Melissa sighed and closed the curtain back. Then turned back and walked towards her bed. She had school tomorrow.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Everything will begin at Chapter 13, something I'll be working on in the upcoming day. Almost to the action!


	10. It's Definitely Mutual

**It's Definitely Mutual**

With a plan to cook the next morning, Susan set a second pan on top one of the stove's eyes and twisted a knob, turning it on. Then stepped back and looked at the ingredients needed for this morning's breakfast on the counter. Some sausage, peppers, of course eggs, onions, so many. Now she just needed to make it. She wanted a great breakfast created this morning. And that meant everything.

The stairs' creaking and deep sighing from her right grabbed her attention. Dean was walking down fastening his dress shirt. He usually arrived at Sheffield early to prepare any last minute things for the day. He was wearing some blue jeans and a gray polo shirt with dress shoes. Not a bad look. His eyes settled on the ingredients, humming in delight. "Ohhh, I can tell this is gonna be good. What you got cookin', sweetheart?"

"Omelettes," Susan whispered. Dean came over and kissed her right cheek. "Good morning, handsome."

"Good morning, gorgeous." He walked towards the fridge and opened it to poke around for something to drink. "You said you needed to tell me something, right?"

Susan nodded and hummed. She sprayed the second pan and placed a handful of ingredients down on it. "You may have been not _too_ far off the marker the other day."

Dean reached up and grabbed a plastic cup with the hand that didn't have milk in it. "Oh yeah? What about?"

"That Will may have a thing for girls." Susan sifted the spatula underneath the omelette to loosen it. Then grabbed the pan with the ingredients and poured them on.

"Oh?" She looked over her shoulder at Dean's smirk, pouring a cup of milk. "When did this happen?"

"Her friend across the street Melissa called yesterday. I noticed that whenever she does Will turns into a pile of mush. Way before yesterday while I was applying some ointment, she asked me if I ever had the feeling of warmth in my heart before. I said yes, all the time. She has no idea what it is. Will's in love, and I think it's with Melissa."

Dean popped the cap back on the carton and hummed loud. Then asked, "Think Melissa actually notices?"

Susan shrugged and scooped up the omelette from the pan. Then plopped it down onto the styrofoam plate next to her. "Not sure. When she comes back over I'll have all eyes on her. I can always tell these types of things."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Melissa's slamming of her lunch tray at her table that she shared with her friends made Irma and the other three jump. She leaned in and whispered, "I have something to tell you."

Cornelia leaned in and whispered, "Oh yeah? What is it?"

"I. Am. A. Lesbian."

"...oh. Girl, I thought you heard something about someone around someplace."

Cornelia moved out of the way and let Melissa look at everyone else. They were moving around around awkwardly in their seats, slightly avoiding eye contact. Did Melissa freak them out too?! Irma chuckled and appeased, "We're not offended. It's just you came over her with what I thought was juicy gossip. But… It just turned out it was about you. Personally I thought it was about the new girls." She motioned with her head towards the end of the cafeteria, where three older girls were walking around talking with each other.

These new girls were obviously from out of town. No one dresses in short sleeves and jeans in the winter here in Heatherfield. The tallest one out of all of them made Taranee roll her eyes. She was maybe five seven, obviously in the upper grades, long blonde hair, shining blue eyes, and curves that kill. The twins looked the same. Same height, same eyes, just different hair color. Obviously dyed. The one on the left had short red hair and her sister had short blue hair. What set them all apart were their smirks. They didn't look like the fun kind of people to hang with.

Hay-Lin turned back to their table and whispered, "I heard they're from Fadden Hills."

Taranee whispered, "Seriously? No way."

Melissa leaned in and whispered, "What's Fadden Hills?"

"Fadden Hills is a city miles away from here, full of snobby rich people. Think they own the world. Technically? Hollywood on the East Coast. Will is from Fadden Hills, but that was one of the reasons she and her mom moved down here. Full of drama."

Cornelia gasped and whispered, "Do you think they know Will?"

Irma shrugged and glanced to the left. Sighing and rolling her eyes at what she saw. "Doubt it, but if they do… Then she's in trouble." She tilted her head that way, directing their attention once again. The taller girl was standing over one of the geeks at their table and poking her cheek. The twins were laughing about it before the taller one snatched the food on her plate and walked away.

Taranee groaned and whispered, "Annnd Nigel's about to be shown up. We already have him and his two cronies. Now we have his twin sister and _her_ two cronies. Perfect. Just hope she doesn't come over here. Now, Melissa? Why did you have to tell us you were a lesbian? Nothing wrong with it, we support you. I just want to know why all of a sudden out of the blue."

Irma pointed a fork at her and added, "Not to mention the way you said it. You sounded like Lord Cedric threatening us."

Melissa sighed and whispered, "Well… I have a crush on someone."

Cornelia gasped and fawned over in cuteness. Then patted her back. "Good for you. Who is it?" She took a bite out of her bagel while the other girls were motioning for details.

"It's Will." They all just froze and stared at her. Cornelia even stopped chewing.

Irma and Hay-Lin glanced at each other then looked back to Melissa. Irma stuttered, "W-Well… That's…. Something."

Melissa clapped her hands over her cheeks, face painted with worry and whispered, "Is that a problem?"

 _Yes, it is!_ Taranee screamed in her own head. _That is definitely an issue! There is no way that anything good could come out of this._ Taranee really wanted to say that, but shook her head and whispered, "No, but… Why _Will_ , out of all people? Is Will even gay?" The other guardians all made gestures of not knowing. Will never made any signs of liking anyone else except Matt. And he was a guy. So she might be attracted to the same sex _and_ the opposite. Or trying out new things.

Cornelia shrugged and answered, "Not sure. Why do you like Will anyway?"

Melissa lowered her hands and whispered, "Well she's sweet, hecka cute, has like the most beautiful hair I have ever seen. It's so red. She's adorable when she's clueless, and... I think she might like me back."

That was some news. Irma smirked at Taranee who shared the same look. Always up for some gossip, Cornelia grabbed Melissa's right wrist and snarled through her teeth, "Tell me everything."

Melissa cleared her throat and gathered her thoughts to prepare her tale. "So last night, I couldn't sleep. My bedroom has a window on the side that has a perfect view of Heatherfield. So I've taken to looking out of it whenever. Well since I couldn't sleep and last night was a beautiful night, I walked over and pulled the curtain to the side just to look out of it. And guess who was watching in the window across the street? Will."

Irma squinted her eyes and whispered, "She was **_watching_** you?" She and the others shared a look.

Melissa was about to say yes but stopped herself and answered, "Well, not _exactly._ I think she was having the same problem. Probably couldn't sleep or something. Either way, we sort of just stared at each other. Me to her, and her to me. After awhile, I decided to try my luck and blew her a kiss. And… She blew one back." Melissa made sure to keep the fact that she was half-topless out of the tale. No need to let her friends know she nearly flashed the girl across the street, that would be embarrassing enough apart from actually doing it.

"Whaaaat?" Cornelia whispered. She looked at everyone else who were also bearing surprised expressions. Will had been going through a time lately. She was pretty much a new person, a complete stranger to Heatherfield. So for her to have a new preference wouldn't be a surprise. But this was definitely a new one. Cornelia turned back and asked, "What happened next?"

Melissa sat back and patted her hand on the table. She tightened her lips and answered, "That was it. She waved and closed the curtain back, and I went to bed thinking I may have crossed a line."

Irma asked excitedly, "And this happened last night?"

Melissa nodded and answered, "Yep. Now I don't know what to think."

Taranee smirked and recommended, " _I_ think you should talk to her."

"And _I_ think that's insane," Melissa deadpanned. She crossed her arms and leaned forward, whispering, "We just met a little over two weeks ago."

"All the more reason to talk to her."

Cornelia ate the rest of her food and shook her head, clearly coming up with her own grand idea. Irma rolled her eyes and asked, "And what does the great Corny have to recommend?"

"Don't call me that. And _I_ think you should just talk to her about how you feel first before you start popping any sudden dates. Just tell her that you have feelings for her and see where it takes you from there. Don't embarrass yourself by asking her on a date and it turns out she doesn't even like girls."

Melissa sighed and nodded. That sounded a lot better than just asking her on a date. If she were to do that then that means she was just winging it and embarrassing Will. She _definitely_ didn't want to do that. Coming to a conclusion, she announced, "I think… I'll swing by her house later and talk to her about my feelings."

Cornelia smirked and winked at Irma, sending her a hidden message that Irma just rolled her eyes at. It wasn't bound to be good. Hay-Lin cleared her throat and grabbed a bottle of water from her bag. "Well I wish you the best of luck. Now…" She leaned in and whispered, "We have to worry about the mission. We've been given the Green light to go ahead and investigate the following worlds: Zamballa and Meridian."

Melissa asked, "So no Earth?"

"Not at the moment. If we don't find anything on those worlds and receive no info from the others, then yeah we'll scan Earth. The others aren't really in our reach at this moment, but the Oracle has already spoken to their leaders to inform him of any changes. We all know the first place on our map to stop: Meridian."

Cornelia sat back and asked, "Meridian's a big world. There's no way we can search all of it. Not to mention there are hidden areas of it too."

"Well deal with that when we approach the issue," Taranee recommended. "No sense in just searching for areas we don't know about for a possible kid."

The bell rang, signalling the start of the school day and the end of that conversation. Everyone around grabbed their bags and stood up, making way for the doors that led into education and drama. While bending low, Hay-Lin said, "We'll start our search on Friday evening. The alibi is we're hosting a party at my place for Melissa, which we technically are."

Irma sang, "I'll bring the cake!" Then grabbed her bag and shuffled out the door ahead of Taranee and Melissa, who glanced to the side and saw those new girls staring. At them. The one in the middle who had to be the leader was eyeing Melissa the most. They weren't really noticeable, but were definitely something to take note of. Mainly because those smirks were still on their faces. Red flag.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

After Dean leaves for work, Susan finds it pointless to just go back to sleep. It was usually six o'clock when he leaves and William is awake by eight. So instead she grabbed the remote in the living room and turned on the television. Then adjusted the volume and quietly creeped up the stairs to check on her children. She hears William's little cries each time he sleeps. He's going to inherit his father's snoring, she could see that already.

Peeking in, she looked at her baby's soundlessly sleeping form. _Almost_ soundlessly. Satisfied, she walked further down the hall towards Will's. One thing about Will, she could sleep all day. She almost did one time. Nothing would stop her from sleeping. Or so Susan thought. She gripped the handle and slowly twisted the door open to peek in. Will… wasn't sleeping. She was under the covers with her hands clasped together on her chest staring at the ceiling. "Will?" She shot her head to the right, looking towards the door at her mother. Why was she up and looking inside? "Are you alright?"

Will blinked then turned her head back to the ceiling and responded, "I'm… Confused."

Susan pushed the door open wider and stepped inside. Then made slow strides across the wooden floor to Will's bed. Taking quiet steps as to not spook the baby sleeping down the hall. She turned around and took a seat on the edge of Will's bed. Then reached out and stroked the head of Will's thick red hair, staring into her emotionless eyes. "What are you confused about?" She whispered.

Will sighed and answered, "...feelings. I… I think I like girls, mom."

 _There it is,_ Susan cheered in her head. "Why do you say that, sweetheart?"

"I think I have feelings for one of my friends," she quickly admitted. Will always found her mother the best person to talk to about these things. "And honestly?... I like it. I like this feeling for one of my friends. But I don't know what to do about it. I've never been in a relationship before."

Susan was about to remind her of Matt, but stopped herself. Will didn't remember any of the people here in Heatherfield. So it would be useless to try and bring them up. She noticed Will move her hand over her damaged eye. She was definitely feeling self-conscious about that. So Susan softly removed it and responded, "Don't worry. I'll help you pursue a relationship. And don't worry about your looks, I'm sure Melissa will look past all of that."

Will was about to say thank you. But her face turned beet red when she realized her mother knew _exactly_ who she was talking about. "...How did you know?" She whispered almost silently.

Susan silently chuckled and answered, "Each time you two are on the phone you giggle like a little girl. The same goes for when she's actually here. She does the same thing too, I'm sure she likes you. I take note of these things, sweetheart. Maybe you should talk to her first before you do anything else. And then if that works out, you should try dating. But remember: Go one step at a time. Going too fast usually results in disaster, okay?"

With her eyes on the covers, Will nodded and glanced up at her mother, shooting her a smile. "Yeah," she whispered. "Thanks, mom."

Susan leaned down and pecked her daughter's forehead, sending her as much love as she could give her without invading too much personal space. "You're welcome. Ready to get up? Is your face hurting? Come on, let's apply the ointment. I have a feeling the gauze is going to be coming off really soon."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Thankfully most of the school day was over and it didn't take long until it was time to walk out those doors with her friends. Halfway to their homes, Hay-Lin jumped into Melissa's view and spread her arms wide towards the horizon. "One more day, then the weekend's here!" She cheered. Then turned around and smiled at her friends following her to the silver dragon. "Ready to barely do anything?"

Cornelia yawned from Melissa's right and answered, "I'm ready to do absolutely nothing."

Irma nodded and added, "Same."

Hay-Lin shifted her long head of blue hair out of the way and asked, "Oh c'mon, seriously? Melissa you're with me on this right?"

Melissa seethed and answered, "Actually... I'm going to Will's right now." The other Guardians stopped their movement and smirked over their shoulders at Melissa. They knew exactly what her intentions were. "Don't look at me that way."

Cornelia wrapped her left arm around Melissa's shoulders and said, "Good luck. None of us have noticed if Will was a lesbian, or straight, bisexual, anything. I usually don't pay attention to that. But good luck, you'll need it."

Melissa didn't really know what to say. All of this attention was making her nervous. So she just settled for a nod and a, "Thanks, Cornelia."

"You're welcome. We'll text you later and see how it went, okay?"

Melissa nodded and watched them walk away, making conversation. Now... It was all her. They had actually stopped in front of the same street she and Will lived on. Directly across the street from each other. She turned to look down it, taking note of the one car actually coming her way. Other than that, she was all alone. So strapping her bag to her back tighter, Melissa took the initiative. She reached up and brushed her hair to the side behind her ear. Assuming it was nice and pretty she took the steps forward down the daunting bright street for the home of her neighbor's. Her light brown eyes were trained directly on the building she was approaching, stepping through the water on the ground. There was no Guardian business right now. This was personal business. But what if she didn't share her feelings? What if Will meant that motion as something else? What if—

Screw the what-ifs. Because there was only one way to find out. After a few more seconds, Melissa stopped and turned her body to the left to face the Vandom residence. Oh boy. Those steps sure were daunting. But she went ahead and walked up them. Her own parents weren't home, they recently started work. So she wasn't worried about a pair of eyeballs bearing into her back. Unless Cornelia was around somewhere. Taking a deep breath, Melissa reached up and rang the doorbell. Then pulled her hand back to hastily straighten her head of black hair once more. She felt like it was out of place. But it didn't feel like it. She was probably just nervous. These nerves were starting to irk her. Will was just another girl. But... Then again she wasn't. Will was something else entirely different. Will was... Amazing. Sure she had amnesia but she was still awesome. Pretty. Cute.

The door clicking open ripped Melissa out of that comfortable bed of thoughts and back into the land of nerves. Susan's face immediately turned into a terrifying grin upon recognition. "Hey, Melissa! Come in!" She opened the door wider and allowed her view into the inside. Melissa took an unnoticeble deep breath. Then with determination walked through the literal door of no return. Once she was in, Susan shut the door behind her and locked it. Then turned to Melissa with a smile and said, "Will's upstairs right now. You can go up there if you'd like, I'm making cookies."

Melissa nodded and began to make her way up there before Susan added, "And Melissa?" She turned back to give Susan her attention. With a smirk, she said, "Be gentle, okay? She's really nervous right now. Probably pacing trying to find something to say."

Holy crap, did she know about her crush on Will?! Melissa had a feeling she didn't, but that wink said something else. "Er... O-Okay," she whispered. Then proceeded up the stairs with Susan's eyes burning into her back. While she slowly climbed, each creak of the wood underneath the gray carpet reminded her: This is it. The moment she was fearing during the night. And at school. And on the way here—Melissa just realized that she worries alot. Time to put all that worrying to rest and just face the future head on. Exactly how she was facing Will's bedroom door. She could hear footsteps going back nad forth. Probably pacing like her mother said. Taking a quiet deep breath, Melissa lifted her fist and tenderly knocked on the door. "Will?" She called.

The pacing stopped before those footsteps came straight to the door. This was it. One more breath in that nearly made Melissa lightheaded and the door was pulled open. She still had gauze on her face but... Was she wearing makeup or something? Her face seemed to have a glint to it. And there was definitely blush on her cheeks. At least there was no mascara on her . It wasn't bad, but it wasn't... Her. She was nervous too. Great to know that Melissa herself wasn't in this alone.

"H-Hey, Melissa! Come in." she greeted. Then opened the door wider and stepped back to head to her bed that she was in reading or something, based off of that book by the pillows. Other than Will's face that held gauze _and_ makeup, nothing was out of the ordinary. So Melissa softly shut the door back and made her way to Will, who was hugging one of the many frogs she had in here.

Looking around, she stated, "So I see you're wearing makeup."

Even with the blush on Will's left cheek and with her back turned, Melissa could still tell that Will was naturally blushing underneath it. With a strange eye on Melissa, she whispered, "Is it that obvious?"

Melissa chuckled sweetly then took a seat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "To me? Yes. To someone else, not sure. Either way, why are you wearing makeup? You look good without it."

Will grabbed the hair by the left side of her head and glanced to the window. "Well... I-I just wanted to see what I looked like with makeup. According to mom, I never wore it and I guess I wanted to look nice for once."

Melissa sighed and whispered, "Will? You already look amazing, I don't think makeup holds a candle to what you really look like underneath it."

Will pulled in her lips and looked back to Melissa. She looked great in this light. These feelings were definitely real. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome." Melissa rubbed her back and looked around the room to figure out something to talk about. Will was doing something similar. Their conversations had been hitting icicles a lot lately. Why was that?

Will's words interrupted Melissa's thoughts. "I have to... Tell you something, Melissa." Melissa focused back on her best friend. Even turned her full body just to give Will her full attention. Will was obviously really nervous to say it, whatever it was she wanted to say. Her fingers were idly fiddling with the bottom of the thin red tshirt she was wearing that fit her figure amazingly. It accentuated eveything about her. It was becoming a little distracting actually. Oh god, why did she have to look so good in it?

Melissa was so entranced by her body, she didn't even notice Will staring at her and following her gaze. When she realized exactly _where_ she was staring at, she blushed heavily. Were her breasts really that big? Or was there something wrong with them? There was a time gap missing when she grew this big, but there was definitely a good thing about them if she could jut grab her crush's attention without even moving. It was a little funny with the way Melissa's eyes were so trained on her. Will cleared her throat, breaking her out of her mesmerizing trance and onto Will's eyes instead. With a grin, Will pointed at her only visible eye and whispered, "My eyes are up here. Am I really that good looking?"

Melissa slowly shook her head and replied loud and proud, "You have no idea."

Will covered her mouth and turned her head to the window. Oh why did she have to say that, it was making things a little harder. Will slowly moved her hand away from her mouth and whispered, "Melissa, I..." Jeez, why was admitting her feelings so hard? Susan from the other side of the bedroom door was thinking the same thing. She was armed with a batch of cookies and grin of excitement just waiting for those words. "...I..." All of this apprehension was starting to irk Will. Why does her depression have to kick in _now_ of all times?! Thankfully, Melissa was patient.

But she wasn't prepared for Will to take that deep breath and yell, "Screw it!" Then turn around and grip Melissa's shoulder with her left eye burning into hers. "Melissa? I like you! I really, really, **_really,_** like you! I don't know when these feelings started happening, or how. Or even when. Maybe last night when we made eye contact at the window, but I just know that these feelings are real because I get all hot, frisky, nervous, and stumble over my words around you. My heart feels like it's going to pound out of my chest right now just because you're right here next to me. So there. I really like you, and I have romantic feelings for you."

Susan nearly dropped the plate of cookies and almost had a heart attack when she thought that Will was about to throw Melissa through the window because she was upset. Turns out, she just confesses very assertively. They really didn't need a lawsuit right now. Thank goodness. Now it was Melissa's turn. Oh boy, Susan wasn't even sure if Melissa held feelings like that for Will. She just told Will to go for it. In the room, Melissa grabbed both of Will's hands and lightly pulled them from her shoulders into her lap, rubbing her thumbs across them soothingly. "Will?" She whispered. Will was nearly on the verge of tears. She could see it. Now it was time to ask the question. "Would you... Be willing to go on a date with me?"

Susan took a deep breath. A deep calming breath because she really needed one. Will's grin happened first before she threw her arms around Melissa's neck, burying her face into it and taking in the scent of nature. Melissa did the same to her and hugged her back tight before Will gave her an answer. "Yes."

While they were hugging, Susan took this grand opportunity to open the door and walk right in on the girls. Will glanced up and blanched. Mom had that look on her face when she knows something. Whether good or bad, she knew about it. Susan raised the plate of brown and whispered, "Since we're whispering, I brought cookies."

Will pulled back but kept her hands on Melissa's shoulders, wide and embarrassed eyes focused on Susan's knowing grin when she calmly set down the plate of food. "Mom~!" She whined. "Were you listening?!"

Susan softly set the plate down on Will's desk then turned around to face the two lovebirds. She nodded and answered, "I heard... A little bit." Now _Melissa_ was a little frightened. What would the mother of the girl she was soon to take on a date going to say? "Can I just say I'm really happy for the both of you."

Melissa took a deep breath. There was definitely a lot of those going around. Will meanwhile was blushing like mad. Jeez. Melissa wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her back into a hug. She definitely needed it. Susan walked over to the bed and took a seat down next to Melissa, whispering, "I just want you to know that Will may be a little eccentric at times, so just watch out for that."

Will sighed and grumbled, "Mom, I'm right here."

"I know sweetie. Just be gentle with her. And if you ever need help setting up a date, I'll be right here to assist. Just let me know, I work with your parents."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Group chats are amazing. Sort of. When people are able to talk to each other at the same time without just one person it makes things interesting. Tonight, the group chat between the Guardians was centered around what the heck happened at Will's house. Cornelia was going nuts over the fact that Melissa and Will were actually talking. The _professional_ way! As in seeing if they click enough to actually become girlfriend and girlfriend. Irma and Taranee were blown away. But Hay-Lin herself didn't know what to think.

Staring up at her phone screen from the comfort of her bed in her darkened room wasn't helping either. Nor the shine of the street lamps piercing the curtains of her window. She was happy Melissa was reaching a possible relationship with the _cute girl._ But if something happened and Will somehow got her memories back... Hay-Lin sighed and replied, "Very happy for you, Melissa." She didn't know what else to say. That would do for now.

Someone knocked on her door, switching her mindset. More than likely Grandma. "Come in," she said. The door pushed open and sure enough Yan-Lin strode in wearing a pair of pajamas. "Hi, Grandma. What is it?"

When she reached the bed, Yan-Lin turned around and softly sat down. Taking a deep breath she reached over and patted Hay-Lin's knee. Then whispered, "I am very proud of you, Hay-Lin. You have adapted well to being the Keeper."

Hay-Lin responded, "But Grandma. We haven't done anything."

Yan-Lin pulled her hand back and stated, "You lead Melissa into being a Guardian calmly as you could and are about to train her. You _have_ done something. Now it is time to do more. The Oracle wants you to start your investigation as soon as possible. He feels something disastrous coming in the near future."


	11. Mask Off

**Mask Off**

Four weeks. Four weeks of talking. Four weeks of searching. Four weeks of dating. Four weeks of training. When Melissa stepped through the portal onto Meridian, she was at awe of the town. According to her it was like some sort of cosplay event where everything was actually real. When they took her to the castle to formally meet Elyon, she made a joke about how the throne was so much bigger than her. Elyon said that she wasn't the first to say that and wouldn't be the last.

Then they started training. The Guardians were ironically blown away by the new air guardian's skill. So much so it impressed Hay-Lin. Thanks to her knowledge, they introduced her to the mind link and started the investigation. First? Meridian. Nothing. The Guard Captain told them nothing seemed out of the ordinary. And the things he did tell them were mostly seasonal happenings. So those were dead ends.

The living wildlife on Zamballa were clueless as to anyone with issues, let alone a child. Then pointed out Melissa who had a blown expression of wonder. "Talking trees, man," she would mutter. The Guardians had to explain that she was new and introduced her. After more dead ends, they were sent to a world none of them heard of before. Hootakah. It was... Awkward. This place was... All woman. Everywhere you looked, nothing but women. Add that to the fact that it was exactly like Earth. There was the President who was a woman and just happened to have powers too, President Mariho. She had a skill that a few women there rarely had. Fire manipulation. Not as strong as Taranee's, but still impressive. Governor, Mayor, law enforcement, entertainment, all of it were pure women. Streets, cars. And they reproduce asexually. They had to search it for three days until Taranee said they should note this place for later.

After that it was onto their last location. Merina. Merina was strange. it looked something like Rome, but had electricity. It was sort of like Rome stayed the same and learned how to use—and make—electronic appliances. Nothing there either.

When the Guardians relayed their findings to the Council, Himerish wasn't disappointed, but he also wasn't happy. But not at the Guardians. He said he could feel a bright disdisturbance out there. And that if the Guardians couldn't find it after all the research, there was a possibility it may not happen for quite some time. It would happen, but not anytime soon. So the Guardians were now on tense muscles when they walked back through the portal into warm and bright Heatherfield.

Thankfully, Sheffield Beach was still mostly empty so there was no worry about eyes, save for the four children up ahead running around with water guns spraying each other on the beach. Once the portal was closed, Hay-Lin changed them all back to their summer clothing they had on when they left. Taranee didn't even know Melissa wore booty shorts! But she looked good in them. While she was secretive in those thoughts, Cornelia was more forward. She zipped forward and smacked her right on the butt, earning a yelp out of Melissa. "Melissa, do you do squats or something?" she asked. "I mean you got a great butt!"

Rubbing her rear, Melissa smirked and answered, "When you swim, you use your thighs a lot. It gives you some muscle. Add ice skating to the mix and—"

"Will becomes one horny girl, yeah I know. How are you two doing?" Cornelia looped her arm with Melissa's and led her as well as the other girls up to the boardwalk, busy with people licking ice cream cones, riding rides, and overall having fun on this warm day. Spring is here. Well they actually had a few weeks to go but still.

Melissa answered, "It's going great! Will has a personality about her that draws her to you and you to her. We've never come here yet so that will be our next stop during Spring Break in a few weeks."

Irma wrapped her arms around Taranee and Hay-Lin's shoulders. Then shouted, "Whoo-hoo! Spring Break's on his way with no homework for everyone! Time to par-tay!" _What is it with Irma and Parties?_ Melissa thought. She was _definitely_ the wild card. Don't put her in a crowd, she _will_ show out.

"Yeah. I have to go see her later today. She's getting the gauze taken off today." It was like a record scratch on the mood. Irma bit her lip but kept that smile on while Hay-Lin and the others just stopped moving for a second. Melissa sighed and stated, "Yeah, I'm a little worried too. Will was burned so for her to have a positive reaction is out the window. She's going to have a negative one. She should be out by now, it's nearly..." Melissa reached in her back pocket to pull out her phone and check the time. "It's nearly three. Everything was done at around twelve. So I'm going to her house right now. Just to see if she's okay."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

 ** _Three hours earlier_**

Today was the day. Will was beyond scared. Or nervous. Maybe both. That sinking feeling she had in her stomach wasn't helping matters when they pulled into the hospital. She remembered leaving this place weeks ago with no memory of how she got there. All she heard was a building going boom right by her face. And she was hit by the flames. Must've been a big explosion. Because it sent her to the hospital with a burn that she had yet to see. But according to the mirror, it was really bad. She never saw the burn, but the gauze wrapped around her head told another story.

The car rolled over a few speed bumps between two buildings. On that looked like a lawyer's office, and the actual hospital. They turned left for the office. The parking lot here was mostly empty, so great parking spaces were up for grabs. Susan picked the closest one that didn't have a handicap sign on it and parked the car. Then cut off the engine and sat back to sigh. She glanced up to the rearview mirror into her daughter's worried face and said, "Everything's going to be okay, alright?"

Still unsure, Will nodded. Then grabbed the handle for the car door on her left and pulled it open.

The inside of the building they stepped into was simple. Not big or roomy like the hospital. More like a simple office building. When they walked in, the lights were dimmed, barely casting a blinding glow on the glass table on the right in the middle of a lot of chairs. On the left was a wall with a magazine stand by the door that led into the back, and a sliding glass window with a light skinned nurse behind it, doing something with a bunch of documents. As of right now, they were the only patients. Well Will was. Susan motioned for Will to go take a seat while she signed her in. So she walked over and sat down in the closest one, idly fiddling with the gauze on her face.

While Susan was dealing with that, Will took note that she couldn't see out of her bandaged eye. Before, she could see something out of it. The white of the gauze, the light piercing through it. But now... Black. It was nothing but darkness there. Concerned was what she was feeling right now when she recognized that. Her heart rate started climbing, worry increasing. When Susan sat down, she quickly took notice of Will's sudden anxiety. She grabbed her hand and asked, "What is it?"

"I... I can't see anything in my right eye, mom," she whispered. "Before I could see something, but now..."

Susan calmly shushed her and rubbed her hand across hers. "We'll let the doctor take a look at it, okay?" Will wasn't too sure they could help.

After two minutes of long waiting, the door that led into the back opened up, letting in a woman with a dark gray sweater walk out with a clipboard in her hands. She had on casual wear with a pair of silver glasses, eyes trained on the clipboard. "Wilhelmina?" She called.

Susan grabbed her purse and other things while Will just stood up, thinking where did she get all that stuff from? Once Susan had gathered her things, she grabbed Will's hand and led her towards the door. Then greeted the doctor with a quick, "Hi."

The doctor nodded and greeted back, "Hello. Come on to the back and we can get this thing started, okay?" With a grin she turned and led them through the door. The back was a lot bigger than the waiting room and a little bit more active. Will was certain that the nurse at the front had nothing to do. There were a lot of rooms in the back vacant. White clean floors with the ever-so-random black mark of a rubber sole, and the smell of disinfectant with cleaning products. According to her mother, this was a place where they treat infections. They were going to check her face for any of those and then send her on her way. Without the mask. After a few more seconds, they turned left into a small room with an exam table on the right and a sink and counter directly across from it. Directly across from the doorway was a weight scale and a heart monitor attached to a steel pole with wheels on the bottom. There was a basket on the pole that held the cuff for the arm. On the immediate left of the door were two chairs, facing the exam table beside the counter.

Once they were in, the doctor motioned towards the exam table and said, "You can have a seat up there while I set up. Are you excited?"

Will walked towards the table and took a seat while her mother sat down in the nearest chair. Once the door was closed, she answered honestly, "No. I was told my face was burned."

"Er... I-I meant about getting the gauze off. I am really sorry about what happened. But we're going to make sure worse doesn't come to worst. Okay?" The doctor turned to the cabinet to pull out a drawer. She reached in and pulled out a box of latex gloves, a very small spray bottle with some type of medicine or something, and then a large white cloth. While she was setting herself up by slipping on the gloves first she explained, "First, we're going to take off the gauze and look at the burn to make sure it's healed up as well as it could. Then we're going to spray it with some of this." Once she had on the gloves, she turned around and held up the small spray bottle. "It's going to get rid of any chemicals the cream may have left up there and allow it to go naturally. Okay?" She set the bottle down and turned towards her patient. "Now. Let's get this gauze off." Susan kept her eyes on them while the doctor reached out and unclipped the pin. She placed it on the table beside Will then grabbed the cloth and carefully unwrapped it from her head. Will's hair made it a little difficult. It had grown impressively long during these last few days. Down to her waist. _That_ was something. She did tell her mother she was going to grow it out, but this was beyond that. Melissa liked it a lot.

After a few more seconds, the gauze was off and the doctor set it next to the pin. The burn was terrible. It started from the beginning of her hairline to the middle of her cheek. And from the middle of her nose to near her ear. Like a cartoon explosion. It was black. Singed. She was definitely blind in her right eye and the area around it was red. It wasn't infected, but it was severely agitated. She could see the white flesh underneath it, like tiny specks of red from old blood. Yeah it needed to be cleansed. Will saw her mother flinch in the chair by the door. It mus've been terrible. She would soon find out how bad.

The doctor huffed and said, "So this is what we're going to do. I'm going to wipe down the burn and it's going to sting, alright?" She turned around and grabbed the bottle and the cloth. Once she had a good grip, she sprayed the chemical on the cloth and set the bottle back down on the counter. With the thought that this was going to trigger something, Susan made her way across and took Will's free hand. Once they were settled the doctor leaned down to Will's face and placed the cloth on. It burned alright. Will seethed through her teeth and whimpered at the feeling of the burning go _across_ her face and all over. "I know, I know," the doctor whispered. "It stings, it'll be over in a minute, okay?" Will bit her lip and fought through the pain. She was a tough girl. She could handle this. Just like the doctor said, in a few seconds, it was over. She backed away and tossed the cloth in a chemical bag of some sort. Then stepped back and sighed. "And... We're done. Would you like to take a look at it to get it out the way?"

Will wanted to say no. But she knew for a fact that she was going to see it eventually. Why not now? So with a deep breath, she nodded her head. "Let's just get it over with," she whispered.

Susan was prepared for this. She walked for her bag and dug around for a mirror. She always had one for work and kept it in her purse. I was a small square hand mirror with a purple frame. Once she had a hold on it, she turned back and made her way once more to the exam table. She held it out to Will and grabbed her free hand. It was face down in her hold, facing the pearly white floor. "Whenever you're ready," Susan whispered. Will closed her left eye and took a deep breath. With them still closed, she flipped the mirror and held it up to her face. Then after a few seconds. Opened her eyes.

The second she saw it, she didn't know if it were nerves or what, but she _wanted_ to puke. Instead, she held her breath and stared at herself. Her face... Was ruined. There was no way she was going to let anyone see this. The skin all around the right half of her face wasn't white anymore. No acne, no acne _scars_ , just... Gray to black to burned. Her right eye wasn't even brown anymore. It was gray. She was blind in that eye. She couldn't see through it.

Will gripped her long red hair and placed it over the right side of her face. Completely concealing it. She felt a few tears leave her eyes, trailing down her cheeks while she directed her eight to the floor. Her mother must've saw it too because she reached out and pulled Will into her chest. She wrapped her arms around Susan's body and squeezed, sniffling and huffing into her chest. She couldn't even remember how it all happened. What was she doing out that day? Why the hell was she beside a building? She couldn't remember.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

When they got home after piking up William from a daycare center and her mother unlocked the door, Will quickly ran inside and bounded up the stairs to her room, not even taking off her shoes. Susan sighed and closed the door behind her with her eyes on the stairs. Then stopped and listened. She could hear her crying. Will needed to be consoled. To be reassured that everything was going to be okay. But she knew better than to go up there. Will wanted alone time right now. The only one who could probably bring her out of this sadness would be Melissa. She had an effect on Will that even she herself didn't have as her mother. A sense of protection and comfort. Maybe that time passed. She definitely missed it. When Will would come to her with problems. Like when she told her she may be attracted to girls. Susan wasn't entirely sure Will was into girls entirely, but she may have a thing or two for some.

With those thoughts, Susan looked down to William who looked right back up to her with innocent brown eyes. She kissed his forehead and whispered, "Let's get some food into you. Okay?"

For the next hour, Will was just staring at herself in the mirror from the side of her bed, hands clasped together in her lap in front of one of her frogs she was holding for comfort. At least until Melissa gets here. She was more than likely on her way. Will decided to keep the right side of her face covered by letting her long red hair drape over it. Her hair always grew fast. Hopefully, it wouldn't slow her down in the future. While the ride side of her face was tucked away, the left side was pushed back behind her ear and clipped in place so she could see. And it would always stay like that. No one would ever see the burn. No one but her mother. She couldn't let Melissa see this. It was... Disgusting.

Will started when she heard the door open and close downstairs, as well as her girlfriend's voice. What time was it? Will reached in her pocket and grabbed her phone to check the time. Three-fourteen. She was staring at the mirror for a solid two hours. Wow, she was deep. Will quickly stroked her hair and fixed her appearance a bit more, just to be presentable. Then took a look around her room. It was... Messy. Oh god, there was underwear on the floor. Of _course_ she'd just leave the pink lace out for Melissa to admire. Did she want that to happen though? Melissa was smoking hot, but she didn't want to take advantage of her. No matter how tempting it was.

Before Will could stand up, Melissa knocked on the door and sang, "Will~."

"Come in." She replied. Then stood up and grabbed the panties at the same time Melissa walked in. She stuck her head in first then jumped inside. Will looked her way and immediately redirected her eyes towards those bare legs hiding underneath those shorts. Forget what she said before about not wanting to take advantage, because this was an amenity.

Melissa rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at Will's eagerness. those hungry eyes from her girlfriend were a compliment. She softly shut the door behind her with a quiet click, then walked across the hardwood floor for Will who was making way for her too. With outstretched arms, Melissa pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "How are you?" She whispered.

Will buried her face into her neck and responded just as timid, "It... It's ugly. It's disgusting." She pulled back and tossed the underwear into a clothes basket in the corner behind her. Then flopped back down on the bed blowing out hot air. "But I'll be fine. I'll just cover it up with my hair."

Melissa took a seat beside her and entwined her left hand with her right one. Knowing Will she wasn't going to let her look at it. But Melissa did say, "I know it may be ugly, but I also know it doesn't negate any part of you. Especially your hair. Or these." She reached out and casually flicked Will's right breast, reaching the size of a medium-sized melon.

She gasped and playfully slapped her arm while Melissa giggled a magnificent sound. She knew Melissa had a thing for breasts. It wasn't much but apparently Cs gets her playful. And Melissa knew Will had a thing for legs. One of the main reasons she wore a pair of booty shorts today. Rolling her eyes, Will whispered, "Thanks, Melissa. But—" Melissa thrust a finger against Will's lips.

"No buts. You're beautiful, Will. And I feel so happy you're my girlfriend." She removed her hand and replaced it with her lips, taking Will off guard. They had already shared their first kiss after their second date at a restaurant both of them were experimenting with. Melissa actually took her out instead of the other way around. They were taking turns treating the other and it was working out great. Will sighed in the kiss and placed her right hand on the side of Melissa's face, softly stroking her soft cheek while they made out.

After a few more seconds, Will pulled back and placed her forehead on Melissa's, eyes still closed and face graced with a smile. She placed her hand on Melissa's right leg and whispered, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Wanna go outside? Or do you want to stay in?"

"I... I want to go outside."

"Okay." After parting from each other, Melissa helped get Will in her jacket. A nice brown leather one she wished she had and led her down the stairs. She had her red hair outside of it draping down to the front on both sides similar to Queen Elyon's braids. Just without the rings. When they walked down the stairs, Susan was the first to peek in and fawn at Will's getup.

She waved a hand at her and said, "Well don't you just look like a doll." Then pulled Will into a hug and whispered, "Are you okay?"

Will nodded into her shoulder and answered, "I'm fine." Then pulled back and informed, "Melissa and I are going out for a bit."

Susan turned and made her way for the kitchen. "Alright. Just please be back before it gets dark, okay? Watch out for her, Melissa."

"I will, Mrs. Vandom." Melissa grabbed Will's hand and pulled her along for the front door.

Susan peeked back out of the kitchen before they could close the door and added, "Watch out for yourself, too! I'll let your parents know you went out!"

Once the door was shut, Melissa turned around to look at Will, smiling up at her from the foot of the stairs. Even with half of her face obscured from view she still looked beautiful. Melissa changed her expression into a grin and walked down the steps to her. Then pulled her along down the sidewalk. Usually they would just go on a route and do whatever was available. Will liked talking. "So—"

"I can't see out of my right eye anymore," Will whispered. Looks like she was staring off the conversation this time. "I knew there was an issue when I went to get the bandages removed today. Before they took them off, I noticed the vision there was... Dark. One half was dark. Like there's a dark haze in my vision on top of everything else. It makes things... A little difficult. Mom setup an appointment with an Ophthalmologist and now I have to go and see them for whatever the heck I'm going there for. I'm blind in this eye, there's no cure for that."

Melissa pulled Will close and suggested, "Well maybe they're just going to check to make sure there's no physical damage that can cause infection." Will's shrug wasn't very convincing but Melissa left it at that. After a bit of silence Melissa said, "It's a beautiful day today."

Will tilted her head back to look at everything. The birds were chirping, the air was kind, it was all beautiful. "...yeah," she whispered. "It's a nice change of pace."

"I'll say. It makes things more romantic." She and Will turned their heads to face each other. Then leaned in and shared another kiss.

After parting, Will whispered, "Never leave me?"

"On my life."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Melissa plopped down into her standard cafeteria seating arrangement the next day. Attracting the attention of the other Guardians around and ceasing their current conversation. Cornelia motioned to her and asked, "So how'd it go? Weird?"

Melissa shook her head and answered, "No. But she's obviously insecure about it. Her mom said she's coming back to school after Spring Break."

Irma whispered, "How did it look?"

Melissa shook her head and answered, "I don't know and I wouldn't tell you if I did. I'm not going to put Will's looks out there like that, especially if she's uncomfortable about it. Sorry, Irma."

Irma merely shrugged and responded, "Eh, I'm not offended. You do your thing and we'll do ours. Just be careful, okay?"


	12. The Remnant of Quintessence

**The Remnant of Quintessence**

Spring Break. Fun. Sun. Running through the warmth. Just a few things that's happened through this budding Romance of Will and Melissa. Will hadn't attended school and would be going back after break. She was nervous. She couldn't remember anything about what it was like. Melissa would be too if she lost her memories of what she knew. So to ease her pain and frustrations, Melissa decided to take her to the Heatherfield Boardwalk. Mainly the beach behind it, but it was still fun on the way.

Melissa decided to go in a straight up black and white Bikini while Will chose to be more discreet with a long orange sundress. Her hair had grown. Long. _Seriously_ long. Like it was reaching past her butt now and _would_ be past if she didn't have it split over her shoulders, coming over her front. Melissa could tell as they walked the boardwalk, attracting attention. Some expressed obvious jealousy. Melissa admitted she was too a little. According to Mrs. Vandom, Will grows hair fast.

The other girls decided to let them have their alone time. Melissa wasn't sure but they seem to distance themselves from Will a lot. Each time she asked if they wanted to tag along they would always decline if Will was coming too. It was strange. And a little offensive. Just because she was in a really bad accident didn't mean they had to distance themselves from her.

Will's nudge of her hand brought Melissa out of her thoughts and back to the sunny day of Heatherfield. "Stop thinking about whatever you're thinking," she playfully scolded. Then grabbed the left half of her hair and slapped Melissa's chest with it playfully.

Melissa rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around her to pull her close and plant a kiss on her cheek, despite her resistance. She loved that type of stuff. Will has a strange side. But a welcomed strange side. Melissa pulled away and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Will grabbed her hand with her left and pointed to the right with her right hand for the beach. "Let's get some sun. I've never been here. Well I probably have—"

"Will? As far as we know, you've never been here," Melissa interrupted. Then planted a kiss on her lips and scampered off. Will gapsed and quickly took chase, looking like an orange red headed angel. At least to Melissa. Will thought ahead and turned into a hippy this day by putting a band on her head to keep her hair over her face. At least for her right side. It wasn't hindering her. If anything it was just a splotch of black on a mostly white painting that added color.

Once Melissa reached the stairs that led down into the sand she slowed to a jog and over to the waves when Will arrived. She reached down and splashed Will with a bunch of water, laughing all the while. Will yelped and held up her hands. Then leaned down and did the same, getting a lot of water on Melissa. "You thought you could get away?" She asked

Melissa jumped to the side to avoid a splash. "I _did_ get away!" She yelled. That's it. Will took the towels they brought and tossed them onto the dry of the beach. Then jogged after Melissa. They played like this for a few more minutes, one wetting the other until Melissa got tired. She jogged back to where they threw their towels and fell in the sand on top of her own. Will walked over but had her eyes on the ocean. The world was a really big place. Melissa just happened to be in hers.

She directed her gaze back down to the wonderful sight of Melissa. She was sitting up on her elbows with her gaze on Will. Oh how she looked seductive in this light. Let alone in this position. Will walked around behind her and sat down. Then used her arms to scoop her into her lap, wrapping her arms under her breasts. Together, they watched the waves rise and fall, listening to the seagulls and the sound of laughter down th beach.

Will dropped her face in Melissa's hair and whispered, "This is nice."

She nodded and responded just as timid, "Very. Are you having fun?"

"Are _you_?"

"Yes."

"Then yeah." Will calmly tilted her head back and placed a kiss on her lips. She wasn't sure before, but she was now. Will knew she was gay. At least for Melissa. She hadn't told her mother yet, but she had a feeling she knew by now. If it wasn't obvious before, it was now. She let her lips go, but didn't back away. "I love you, Melissa," she whispered.

Melissa opened her eyes and reached up to cup Will's hidden face. "And I love you too, Wilhelmina." They sealed it with another kiss, lasting for a few seconds before they had to part for air.

Melissa was a little uncomfortable though. Not because of Will or anything they just said. But because something was underneath this blanket that had a hold of her butt. What was up with that? She let go of Will's lips for a second and looked down at her lap. Will followed her gaze and asked, "What is it?" She checked around. Nothing seemed amiss.

"No, I'm sitting on something." Melissa shuffled to the side and flipped a half of the blanket. A rock of some sort. A large pink rock that had a string around it of some kind. It was shining and sparkling, catching Will's eye and Melissa's confusion. It looked like a piece of jewelry. A very expensive piece of jewelry. What was it doing lying in the sand of all places? Who would be dumb enough to leave _this?_ Will fawned and calmly reached out to grab it. Once she had it, she reached her other hand around Melissa and wiped the rest of the sand off. Then looked it over. It was like a glowing pink crystal cube with shaved off corners. "This is so pretty!"

Melissa looked around and asked, "Who would just leave it out here?"

"Maybe it fell in the water and washed on the beach?"

Melissa shrugged and then focused back on it. "Well I guess you can have it."

Will used her right hand to tap Melissa's nose. "I was going to anyway. It's really pretty."

"Well _I_ was going to say that was my gift to you for a near three month anniversary."

Will rolled her eyes and asked, "Okay, one? A _near_ three month anniversary? And two. How is it your gift and your butt found it?"

Melissa scoffed and playfully slapped Will's naked thigh. "Because it's _my_ butt. I'm getting soggy here."

"Whoa, Melissa. Wait two more months first and then we can talk about it."

With evil intentions, Melissa dipped her hand behind her back and poked a certain area that Will yelped at. While Melissa laughed, Will reached over and did the same thing, silencing her and urging her own laughter. Rolling her eyes, Melissa reached up to grab her head and pull her down into a kiss again. Then pulled back and whispered, "Now? I actually _am_ soggy. See what you did?"

Will smiled and deeped the kiss more. Then pulled back and whispered, "We'll find some time to ourselves in a bed. After we do find it, then we can resolve that." And with that, they sealed another promise with their last kiss. Of the hour.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

A few minutes after that they packed up their things and started to head home to Melissa's house. But not before Melissa helped put the necklace around Will's neck. The chain it was on was really interesting too. It was golden and instead of it being an actual chain, it was of some sort of malleable gold. It could stretch, thus settled comfortably around Will's neckline. It was a choker size. But it wasn't choking Will. While they moved, they dried off. Will's sundress hid most of her body but Melissa had to wrap up in her towel and walk on flipflops back to their apartment. When they were in the city, Will decided to amuse Melissa by wrapping an arm around her waist. Melissa looked at her and slowly shook her head. "You're like my dad," she whispered.

"No I'm not," she responded. "For one, I'm a girl. Two, your dad is like the biggest guy I've ever seen. And three, you're my _girlfriend_ , not my daughter."

Melissa rolled her eyes and crossed the street with her. "You know what I mean."

Will chuckled and answered, "Yeah, I do. But what can I say? You're my girl." She leaned over and pecked her cheek. Then removed her arm and grabbed her hand to entwine their fingers. The beach wasn't that far away from their homes. Not even a mile. More like ten blocks. So Will and Melissa took the sidewalk across from Will's home and walked towards Melissa's house instead of Will's. She rarely comes over. But when she does her parents are always home. Today would be no different.

Melissa knocked on the door and stepped back. From a step below, Will asked, "No key?"

"Not on the weekends. It's strange."

Will nodded and focused back on the door when it jiggled and was pulled open by Keitlyn. She smiled and stepped to the side. "Hey girls come in." Melissa walked in first followed by Will. "Your hair grows really fast, Will."

She smiled and replied, "Thank you. Yeah, I've always had fast growing hair. It's a little of a hassle, but I like it this way."

Keitlyn walked to the kitchen while they moved up the stairs. When they reached the room, Melissa waited until Will was inside to shut and lock the door. Then turned back around to pull her in and kiss her once again with a more fierce and hungry feeling. Will was a little surprised, but decided to just settle with a giggle and stroke the back of her head. Still making out, they moved towards the bed and fell on top when they did, bouncing and shuffling the covers. Melissa grabbed Will's hands and began to move her kisses down to her chin and neck.

Will barely knew what was happening. were they going to have sex? Was this really happening? Was her dad home? Probably not, he would've burst in by now. Will arched her legs up and settled Melissa's body beween them. She felt her right hand move down, feeling her right thigh and sending shocks up her spine. They moved under her sundress and over her underwear. A toe-curling pleasure made her thrust her hips upwards, hitting Melissa's pelvic. Will had a feeling things were going to get interesting. And hot. And wet. Mainly because Melissa slipped her hands underneath the underwear. Oh this was amazing. She left her phone across the street. Take charge, Melissa. Please.

"I love you, Melissa," Will moaned.

"I love you too, Will."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

When Will got home, Susan was the first to witness her daughter's bedhead. She was heading towards the kitchen with William when she walked in and sort of just stopped to watch her try to fix her hair. "Bedhead?" Will whirled around with the biggest blush Susan has ever seen on a person.

Will glanced towards the living room and answered, "Uhh... Yeah?"

After a nod from her mother Will darted up the stairs to her room and tossed her towel in the bin before she even closed the door. When she did, she pressed her back against it and with closed eyes faced the ceiling. She could still see her. Feel her.

Taste her. Will sighed in satisfaction and abandoned the door to her dresser where her phone was sitting. Maybe a missed call? Text? Taranee. Will wasn't sure, but there was no way she was friends with those girls because "they would eat at the same restaurant." They also go to the same mall. But so does everyone in town. They couldn't be friends just like that. It made no sense.

 _Lord Phobos is your brother?_

Will gasped and looked around her room. What was that? It sounded like a ghost! Her room was silent and the afternoon sun was in the sky. Everything seemed normal. But something was wrong. She heard it, she _knew_ she heard it. She walked towards the window and looked down the street. There was no one outside. No cars either. She could've swore she heard someone say something though. It sounded like Taranee.

 _Guardians of the Veil... Kandracar... It's on Meridian, so we have to get to Meridian._

Will grimaced from a sudden shock in her head and moved towards her bed to take a seat on the edge. Something was definitely wrong. The necklace on her chest started to dim from it's light pink to a darker color. But Will wasn't focused on it. Or the floor she was looking at with her hands to her head. She was focused more on the colors, sounds, voices, and textures running through her mind.

 _Queen Elyon..._

 _The Knights of Vengeance..._

 _She's just an old lady with your power..._

 _...previous Guardian of Quintessence..._

 _How many times have we skipped school for this guy?_

A knock on her door pulled her out of her mind. Susan called through it from behind, "Will? I'm going to the store with William. I'll be back in a little while."

Will answered, "O-Okay!" Then paid more attention to what was really important. She was starting to get a headache. Will didn't even hear the door shut. The voices in her mind were becoming more coherent.

 _Keep an eye out for Cedric._

 _The Council needs to speak with us._

 _Air!_

 _Fire!_

 _Earth!_

 _Water!_

 _Hay-Lin, duck!_ Will grimaced and groaned loudly. What... What's going on? This headache was killing her! And these voices weren't helping! "M-Mom?!" She cried. Then attempted to stand before her world went topsy-turvy. She fell back on her bed while the voices in her mind turned into chaos. One hand grabbed and squeezed her bed sheets while the other squeezed her head. A white noise grew in her mind, a pain like fire took over her brain. She cried out and rolled over so she was facing the ceiling with shut eyes, grit teeth, and constantly shifting legs.

"Ahhhh!! Nnnn!! Help! Somebody!!" She yelled. The white noise grew in pitch and velocity. The voices grew louder and louder. Explosions, howls, music, fanfare.

 _The Infinite Dimensions..._

 _Veil!_

 _Matt is a Regent._

 _Your sister is the Heart of Earth!_

Will screamed and shot her eyes open, staring straight to the ceiling with horror, pain, and frustrations. Then a single phrase popped into her mind that stuck out more than anything. "You almost stabbed Taranee." Darkness. Will couldn't feel her body. All of it ceased. Movements, screaming, everything. She was in a place of darkness right now. A cold darkness that washed over her body.

There was a light up ahead. A tiny light breached the darkness before it faded as fast as it came. Her body. She could feel it. Her face was on fire. A cool fire, but still painful. She squinted her eyes open and stared at what seemed to be a stone roof casting a white glow. What... What happened? Wait... Her vision! She could see through her right eyes again! But.. How? What was going on?

"Will?" Against her will, she tilted her head to the right. Who was that? She was small. Had a silver ring like a band on her head with long straw like hair, ending with two rings. She wore a long gown.

"...what happened?" Will's sight turned to black once more, ridding of whatever that was. But who was... Elyon. Queen Elyon of Meridian. How did she know that? Her vision slowly changed. She was running. Huffing and puffing through an alley in Heatherfield in the cold and snow. There were others in front of her too running away.

"GIVE ME THE HEART!!" Was that her? It sure sounded like her. The ground in front of her shook before it broke apart. A wall of vines erupted, sailing for the sky. _Air._ Will ran up to the sky and over the wall. Then looked down at... Cornelia. Cornelia Hale. Guardian of Earth. Time sped up, moving scenes and events too fast for Will to recognize. Something happened. She flew up into the cold evening sky and grabbed... Hay-Lin by the shirt. Elyon tried to hit her with a staff. Irma and Taranee. Where are these names coming from? What was happening?! Time slowed to a crawl. She was on top of Taranee on the sand in what looked like Heatherfield Beach, knees on her elbows keeping her down. Then she slowly lifted her head. Pink. Something pink was headed her way. She looked up. Her left eye was partially blinded by the color. But that was all her right eye could see. She could see out of it.

Pink one second. Agonizing pain the next. "YOU BASTARDS!!!" Her voice. She said that. It reverberated through the darkness, bouncing off unssen walls before she was thrust under once more. Dripping. Something was dripping. Like a faucet. But much louder. Reverberating in her ears like a stone hallway.

In the darkness, Will heard another voice. And more afterwards. _"I'm sorry, Will. But by the power vested in me… I reinstate your Guardianship."_

 _"Will! Oh my god, sweetheart!"_

 _"What happened?"_

 _"You were beside a warehouse when a lightning bolt struck. The flame caught you and they had to take you to the hospital. How are you feeling?"_... Lies.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Will's hand twitched. Heightened breathing slowed. She moaned and cracked her eyes open. Half of her body was on the bed, the other half was off, facing the wooden floor. If her mom had walked in, she would see all of this. She moved her left hand to push herself up. There was a small puddle of red on the floor. Blood? Blood. Will adjusted her body so she was sitting on the edge, head in her hands once more. It was hurting something fierce. What time is it? Her room was the same as it was before. The sun hadn't even moved. On careful feet, Will stood up and gripped her head. It was hurting. Pulsing. She made careful strides to her desk and sat in her chair, facing the bedroom door.

"...What... Happ..." Will slowly lowered her hands and widened her eyes. Her breathing stopped. Nearly her heart. Her eyes, the fight. She remembered. Guardians of the Veil. Keeper. Phobos, Miranda, Cedric, Nerissa, Sandpit. All of them. The first day of school, the girls, the Guardians. Yan-Lim. When she first became one. The Keeper. The Heart. _GIVE ME THE HEART!_

The prophecy that had her and Hay-Lin switch powers. It triggered her depression. She needed ECT and they wouldn't give it to her. They had a fight. And it ended with...

Will slowly raised her head up to the mirror across from her. Then stood up and looked at herself. Her deep red hair was keeping her face in half. It ran like a river over her shoulders down to her waistline. It was beautiful. What was underneath it? She reached up and moved the hair covering her right. a scarred mess. It was black and chizzled. One side was pretty, the other horrid. It looked like her skin dried out and had cracks growing all over it. Black, charred, and... Terrible.

"...there was never a lick of flames," she whispered. Will let her hair go then focused on the necklace she and Melissa found today. Wasn't it pink before? Now it was red like her hair. This wasn't a normal necklace. Whatever it is it was currently filling her body up with something. She could feel it. It was really strong. "...you restored my memories." Will could hear voices in her mind. Speaking to her from far off. This time it wasn't in her head. Something was really out there. It was speaking through the cube and reaching her. Feeding her.

"They wouldn't listen," she whispered. "I needed ECT and... They burned my face and had the nerve to erase my memory of it. Then replaced it with a **_LIE! "_**The items around her suddenly moved. The dresser, desk, bed, pictures, all of it either flew out of place, broke, creaked, scuffed, shattered. Then froze not even a second later. Will calmly lowered her hand back to her waist and stared at the sudden catastrophe. Her left eye glowed red while she slowly rotated and faced the mirror again. Everything slowly moved back to where it was before and restored itself. As if it never happened. She snarled at herself in the mirror. Those people had the nerve... Once everything was back in place, she turned around and lifted her index finger as if she was pointing. Then calmly pulled it down, drawing a rift. A deep red rift.

Half a mile away Taranee, Irma, Hay-Lin, Cornelia, and right across the street Melissa. They all screamed. As if a long red cut was sliding into their brains. Hay-Lin fell to the floor and looked towards the window. What _is_ that?!! Keitlyn stopped what she was doing in the living room and looked up to the ceiling. "Melissa?!" She dropped her book and jumped out of her seat for the stairs. She ran up them and burst into Melissa's room. Everything inside was trashed. At least the bed didn't hit the window this time. But her mind wasn't on the near dismantled dresser, the clothes everywhere, or the broken photographs.

Her daughter was on her hands and knees taking deep breaths by the closet. Melissa's powers spiked. It felt like a cat was screetching in her head. As if someone constantly was breaking glass by her ear. "Melissa!" She looked to her right when Keitlyn ran over and looked into her eyes. "What's wrong, do I need to call an ambulance?"

Taranee, Irma, and Cornelia were going through a similar situation, getting checked on by their parents. Will stared at the rift she just created without the Heart of Kandracar. She didn't nead that. Will had something better. Something _way_ stronger. Something she could use for Vengeance. Maybe she was like Nerissa. But there was a fine line between her and Nerissa. Nerissa wanted Vengeance because they imprisoned her for killing Cassidy for the Heart, who is now alive.

Will wanted Vengeance because they burned her face, erased her memories, then sent her back like a damn fool. She couldn't remember her baby brother, her fr... She has no friends. Except Melissa. Her girlfriend. She would never hurt her. But she would, without a moments hesitation hurt the others. They assisted. Will had a mission in mind now. To find the "Remnants". The Remnants of the Aurameres. And rip apart every speck of Kandracar she could get her hands on. And she had a good plan to tell them she was coming.

With that in mind, Will took a step forward and walked straight through the rift. It was much different. Everything inside was different. Far different than in the past. It was more... Raw. Unfiltered raw power. It burned. But Will let it. She felt herself change. And change into her own form. She may look like a Guardian.

But was far from it.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

When Caleb was informed of a red rift in the middle of the town below the castle, he grabbed a few of his men and started the move. They arrived at the same time Will did. At the front of the defensive line, Caleb sighed and rolled his eyes. Looks like another crazy person going after power again. This one looked very different though. And very strange. Not to mention very young. From his right, Vathek whispered, "A Guardian?"

Caleb slowly shook his head and whispered, "Definitely not." Their opponent was standing from afar, staring at them with a stone cold expression. Will's hair had changed from red to deep black. Her eye had changed from brown to a blood red. Her hair was still in the same position, draping over her shoulders and reaching her waist. She had on a skin tight blood red suit with skin slits in the sides, providing coolness in the hot air. And coming out the back were a pair wings similar to the Guardians. Just black, matching perfectly. And around her neck was the red cube on the golden chain, locked to her form. She looked good.

She looked evil too. Caleb raised his hand and yelled, "Halt! State your business!"

Will narrowed her eye at him. Of course they'd play the get out of Meridian card. She raised her hand in a stop towards Caleb, silently summoning the sand on the ground to move like tendrils onto his legs. Then flipped it straight. They gripped and pulled him down. Caleb yelled when he was yanked into the ground, stopping at his shoulders. He struggled to move, too deep to even shift his legs.

Vathek gasped and turned back to Will when she swung her right arm from left to right, like slicing through the air. A huge wave of flames flew forward, scorching occupied buildings and forcing the soldiers to jump and slide into the ground. Bad decision. Finding this an excellent time, Will flared out her left hand's fingers and created a pinching motion. Then lifted up her hand. The sand they were on folded up like a trash bag, bundling all of them up. Once they were inside, Will lifted the giant bag of screaming soldiers into the air and pointed the hand she threw fire with towards it. Then set it ablaze. After a few seconds, she let it drop back to the dirt with a ground shaking thud. Then lowered her hands and looked around. The town around was quiet. Too quiet. Queen Elyon was near. The soldiers inside of the bag made of glass were knocking their hardest against it. But it was too thick to break.

Caleb settled for just watching. Whoever this person was they had the power of earth and fire. Will set her eyes on a statue of Queen Elyon behind her. Then lifted her hand as if she were holding a sphere and balled up her fist. The statue combusted, spewing rocks and dust onto the ground. Caleb gasped. With a single hand motion she crushed a statue! And from the looks of everything, the town was next. He had to get out of here and get everyone out!

"Intruder!!" Will stopped her movements and slowly grew a smirk. Just the girl she was looking for. Elyon landed down in front of the glass ball and took up a position. Then a bunch of soldiers ran out of the alleys to surround her. Aiming arrows, readying swords and spears, all types of weaponry. How many were in this city at the moment? Not counting those in the glass. Fifty? It didn't matter. Elyon spun her staff and yelled, "Place your hands on your head and get on the ground now!! Or you will face the light!!" Will was about to raise her hand but had a better idea.

She slowly shook her head and whispered, "Earth." She raised her hands and slowly placed them on the top of her head. A few of the guards started to move in before she swung them down onto the ground. The homes and everything else around her shifted when an Earthquate hit, destroying properties and creating havoc. Elyon yelled and lost her footing, but quickly jumped back up while the soldiers pretty much fell on top of each other. They weren't prepared for this. Caleb made a note to speak with the captains.

Will looked up at the same time Elyon started to swing her staff. Then teleported out of the way behind her. Lifting her foot, she landed a good kick to Elyon's back and stepped back before that staff could collide with her face. Then raised her hand like she grabbed an arm and pulled back underneath her. Elyon was yanked off her feet and dragged across the ground underneath Will's foot. She gasped and teleported just in time before it could hit her stomach. But Will was prepared for where she was going to be. She knew Elyon for quite a long time. It was only a matter of time before she tried this trick. When she teleported, Will turned invisible. So when Elyon reappeared, she had no idea where she was. And she didn't. No sound. Or sight.

Elyon stood her ground while the soldiers took careful glances. "Where did she go?" One of them whispered.

Elyon raised her hand and yelled, "Quiet!" They followed orders and stayed motionless, listening to the calm wind. The stress was making Elyon sweat a little. This person was silent. And very powerful. With a single motion, all of her guards were down. And in the blink of an eye, she was out of sight. They were young, a lot faster than any they have ever faced. Elyon suddenly gasped and stopped moving. Will slowly shimmered into view, standing directly in front of her with an angry red eye on hers, and a hand clutching at her neck, squeezing tightly and cutting off her airway.

Before the soldiers could react, Will yelled, "Air!" And swung her arm out behind her, sending them all flying fast into walls, buildings, and whatever else was around. Some instantly clonked out while a few lay around moaning and groaning. Once they were on the ground, Will turned back to Elyon and caught her staff before it could hit her side, then yanked it out of her hand and tossed it somewhere behind her. Elyon watched it land where her statue lay in pieces before Will shoved her back. Hard. She flew back into the glass and bounced off with a yelp onto her face. Then was grabbed by her gown and hefted back up. She was pressed into the glass by her neck, held by Will's arm, once again suffocating her. "How does it feel, you highness?" She whispered. Elyon couldn't remember, but she sounded familiar. She just couldn't place it right now. After that, Will set everything on fire.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

All lights were off, everything was closed. Crickets chirped outside of bedroom windows. And all were asleep. Or so it seemed. Melissa was sitting on the side of her bed, staring at her phone towards the window. She's called. She's texted. Nothing. Will didn't answer. Her mother said she was asleep and would more than likely talk to her tomorrow.

A bright light pierced the darkness of the room. Attracting her attention. "Melissa." She switched off her phone and softly placed it on the nightstand. Then stood up and made way for the rift Hay-Lin was peeking out of. Then jumped back in when she did onto the floor of the Congregation. They weren't the only ones there this time. Pretty much all the big wigs showed up. A bunch of people sitting on the benches and some more in the Gallery where they were.

Himerish nodded at them and greeted, "Thank you for coming, Guardians." Hay-Lin nodded back and stood beside Orube to share a wink. Then focused back on the Oracle. "Earlier today, an attack was staged on Meridian. And earlier than that, the Veil was forced open by what is believed to be a lone assailant. She tore apart the guard, and defeated Queen Elyon."

Taranee's eyes were aflame when she asked in worry, "Is she alright?"

"She is recuperating. But the town is now in ashes." Ashes? The Guardians looked to each other then back to Himerish. He motioned towards his left to Caleb. "Her Knight was the first to face her."

Caleb stood up and stated, "She's really strong and nearly resembles the Guardians. but instead of their standard color, hers is red and black. She has wings that are black. Long black hair that drapes over her right eye and cold red eyes. She has power over Earth and Fire."

A girl with red-orange hair around Elyon's size down the line commented to the Guardians, "I was called to see if she may have been from Hootakah. No one else in the Universe has power over fire except a few Hootakans and the Guardian of fire. She's not from there. I am Mariho. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Did you match her?" Hay-Lin asked.

Mariho shook her head and answered, "No. She is not from Hootakah."

Caleb commented, "After she knocked out Queen Elyon and set the town on fire, she disappeared again through that weird rift."

"Yeah... Yeah, we got that," Cornelia sighed. Then reached up to rub her head. "It was like someone was screeching in my ear, ripping my head wide open."

Yan-Lin stated, "We are very concerned. No one should be able to open a veil at will. The only ones who can are the keepers of the Heart and The Oracle. Whoever this girl is, she made a rift by apparently using her finger."

Hay-Lin guessed, "So they have access to anywhere." Himerish solemnly nodded. Hay-Lin figured that. This person sounded strong. Really strong. She looked over to Melissa and asked, "Hope you're ready for a sudden fight. _Now_ things are about to get violent."

Melissa took a deep breath and nodded. Then focused back on The Oracle and asked, "So what do we need to do?"

Himerish gestured to Mariho and answered, "The warriors and Law Enforcement have already been notified on this girl and are looking for her, or at least keeping an eye out. We just need you ready in case things do become violent."

Halinor clarified further, "What that means Melissa is that when you are called, answer it. A city could possibly be torn apart."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Will wasn't after a city. While her girlfriend was with the Guardians getting an update on her attack, and her parents and little brother were asleep around her, Will stayed up just to think. The moon shined through the window. Casting her body and the gem she was feeling on the base of her neck in an incandescent white glow. It wouldn't come off. Earlier after Will burned down Elyon's kingdom, leaving its citizens homeless and her with grief and pain, she slit another rift and stepped through. Then tried taking off the necklace. Whatever this thing was it wouldn't budge. it was like it shrunk and was now a ring of metal around her neck.

Thet was fine by her. She needed to keep a close eye on it. This was her source of power and knowledge. The remnants were what she needed to be looking for. They were out there in the Universe, but she had no idea where. There had to be some way to track it. Will hummed and rubbed the red glowing gem. Who does she know that would have an idea? Hay-Lin.

 _Yan-Lin_. She of all people would know. Will nodded and looked up when she felt a spark. A breach in the air. A rift. The Guardians. Looks like they just heard the oh-so unfortunate news. They would be hearing much more in the future. Will had a goal to rip all of Kandracar apart. And take every last single Guardian with it.


	13. Target: Kandrakar

**Target: Kandrakar**

The day was anew, the sun's rays cast light onto the horizon. They breached windows and curtains, shining onto the kitchen table of the Vandom residence littered with food and ingredients. Susan had to work today but had a desire to leave food for the family. Dean was upstairs tending to the baby while Will was sleeping. Or supposedly. She was actually pacing her room. So silent it sounded like she wasn't even moving, leaving everyone else believing she was asleep. Yesterday was a great day. She spent the most of her day with her girlfriend, lost her virginity, got her hands on something that restored her memories and supplied her with every element that the Guardians had. Even... Quintessence.

Will stopped pacing and faced her mirror. She was wearing her housecoat colored red. Her hair was parted once more over her breasts, leaving her left eye exposed and her right one hidden. She reached up and touched the Remnant of Quintessence with her hand. Then changed in a red flash. Will no longer stood there. Now stood someone else. She still looked like a teenager. Just more aggressive. The red and black outfit, black wings, glowing pendant on her neck. Correction: _Ringing_ her neck. It wasn't tight, but she knew it was there. Kind of hard to miss the gold around her neck.

Will reached up and moved her hair out of the way. She'll never get tired of seeing the source of all her anger. The cause of pain. The cause of blindness. Her source of raw emotion. The mirror rattled, pulling her out of those memories they tried to steal. Now wasn't the time to reminisce. Now was the time to plan. So she changed back into Will to get ready.

There were a few items Will had to grab. The Remnants. She had absolutely no idea what a "Remnant" was, but she had a good idea where she could find out. Kandrakar. Yan-Lin wasn't trustworthy. There was a library in those long and twisting hallways filled with books on spells, worlds, and legends. She needed to cross reference this Remnant of Quintessence to find more.

Will held out her hand and zipped her phone into it to dial a number. Will wasn't available today. She held the phone up to her ear and waited for the dial tone to end. _"Hello?"_ Melissa greeted.

Just her voice alone made Will smile. It was just one of those rare things that happen. To her that is. "Hey, 'Lissa," she whispered.

"Hey." Melissa sat up and looked around her room. "How are you? Tired from yesterday?"

Will rolled her eyes and giggled. "Yes, a little. I feel sticky. Next time you do cunnilingus, watch out."

Melissa laughed and nodded her head. "Yeah, I got that."

"So listen, I'm going out for awhile and will be out of contact. I'm telling you now so you don't feel stupid or something."

 _"Gee, thanks."_

Will shrugged and answered, "It's true! I'll call when I find what I'm looking for. I'm going browsing."

Melissa sighed and nodded. She was a little tired today anyway. And she had to meet with the others to see about Elyon. "Okay. I love you, Will."

"I love you too, Melissa." Will pulled her phone back and hung up. Then just stared at it. She really hated lying to Melissa. She really _really_ did. But this was something she had to do. She set her phone down on the desk and moved for the bathroom. She smelled rank.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

When Melissa jogged down into the Silver Dragon's basement, she had to crack a joke. "Whoa, getting ready for school? Wait eight more weeks." The white table in the center of the room was littered with documents of some sort. Surrounded by the Guardians who were looking them over.

Hay-Lin waved Melissa her way and grabbed one to present when she was close enough. "This is a sketch of who we may be up against."

Melissa took the document and looked it over. Whoever drew this had grand skills. Even the coloring was on point. It was of a girl with long flowing black hair and the right side of her face hidden. Her hair was as long as her girlfriend's. Her left eye looked cold and uncaring. There was a little black arrow in the corner of it, supplying accent. She wore red and black, wings nearly identical to a Guardian's if they weren't black. She could even past for an evil one.

Melissa looked at the others and asked, "Origin?"

Taranee shook her head and answered, "None yet. She literally turned up out of the blue and tore apart Meridian."

Fashionably eating a grain bar, Cornelia stated, "We think she may be a messenger for someone else. According to Caleb, there was no clear motive. He thinks she may have targeted the Queen just to make her watch the city blow. We're about to go over and see the damage as well as check on Elyon."

Melissa sighed and set down the drawing while Hay-Lin changed them. Then opened a rift. Once she did, she stepped through and looked around, aghast at her find. The others were the same. Hay-Lin absentmindedly closed the portal, but kept her eyes on the air of ashes, fires, smoke, burning wood, and destruction. Everything was gone. People littered the streets, digging through what was left of their homes. The ground they stepped on was gray with ashes while specs of flames littered random areas, still being put by soldiers.

They stayed silent for a moment until Taranee grunted and commented, "I am really going to put a paddle to her behind when we find her."

Irma muttered, "Wait in line." Then proceeded towards the castle. While they moved through the dusty atmosphere, Melissa's mind was trying to come up with reasons as to what this person gained by demolishing an entire town. It made no sense. Last time she came here it was full of everyday life. Happiness. Now they were walking past what remained of the Queen's marble statue that homeless children were sitting on. Littering the darkened ground in blocks and pieces. It must've taken forever to build it.

The only remaining structure was this Castle. The high ceiling and stone walls resonated the buzzing of their wings as they flew towards the residence hall. Other than that it was really silent. Caleb was already in there looking over a sword when they arrived. Cornelia, being her best friend landed and strode in first. The bed had a veil over it, decorative like everything else but Cornelia could still make her out. Elyon was on top of the bed covers with her legs pulled up to her chest. Her tired wet eyes were trained on the covers. A Queen mourning for the country. The candles inside brightened up the atmosphere, thanks to the ash shrouding out half the sunlight.

"Hey, Elyon." She looked up and watched Cornelia make her way over with the others. The flames wavered when they did and she took a seat on the edge. "How are you feeling?"

"Devastated." Her voice was hoarse. And there was a bruise around her throat, dark red and blue. Cornelia swore in her mind to get this bitch back. Elyon shifted her eyes towards the closed window and added in a desperate whisper, "My home, my kingdom... I saw it go down in flames..."

Irma softly placed a hand on her back and whispered, "Don't worry. We're gonna make it right."

Elyon sighed and asked, "Anything?"

Melissa sat down at the foot and shook her head. "No identity and no origin. She could be from anywhere with a strange motive."

Caleb set down the sword he was toying with and asked, "So it's another crazy woman—excuse me. Crazy _girl._ She was really young. Like you guys."

Irma stood up and walked towards the window to take a bird's eye view. "You said she had the power over fire?"

"Yeah. And Earth."

"Sounds messy. And mishmashed— _ahhh_!" Irma reached up and gripped her head in pain. That white noise. That feeling. The feeling of a cat scratching on the surface of a steel table. The others were doing the same, grimacing and gripping their heads. She's back.

Elyon jumped up and asked, "What's wrong? What's happening?!" She was about to send for help before Cornelia stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"No! Sh-She's forcing her way through the veil!" She yelled. After a few more seconds, the pain ceased and they got their wits back. Sort of. Irma was getting a headache.

Once they found their footingMelissa huffed from the back and muttered, "I really hate that."

Hay-Lin held up the heart and opened a portal. Before she jumped in she said, "Don't worry Elyon, we'll get her." Then jumped through and closed it back, filling the room in a sudden silence. Elyon stared at the spot for a second. Then turned her head to the window. She knew they'd eventually get her. But it took months to get Phobos, and more for Nerissa. This person was stronger than the both of them.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

After her mother left for work, and lying her way out of the house, Will made her way for a quiet part of town. It was nearly eleven. Everyone was out and about. Either on their phones, talking with friends, or whatever else.

Will's destination was for a nearby alley, void of any people. Adults, police, children, anyone. Soft shoes crunched along the warm ground, padding along the mostly empty sidewalk. A convenience store rulled the corner. Lagging with business. She wasn;t focused on that. She was focused on the alley she was approaching, and just turned riht into. It was dark and it was quiet, leading for the next street over. She stopped in front of a trash dumpster and looked over her shoulder for any stragglers. There was no telling who was watching her. Once sure she was alone, Will reached up and touched her pendant, using Quintessence to activate. She had to flow it back through to change, although in parts. She had more control over it then the Heart of Kandracar. In a wave of red starting at the top of her head, she changed from Will to... Starfire. Yeah, that sounded nice. Had a ring to it. Looks like she was one of the villains this time.

She had a good reason. Will felt hurt, invaded of her privacy, and crushed. She would make them feel worse. Once she changed, she lifted her finger and once again drew a rift. It felt nice. Like ripping open a sheet of paper with her finger. A very thin and sharp one. Once it was completed, Will stepped through from Earth onto the steps of Kandracar, turning into Starfire, the enemy. The rift repaired itself, leaving her with the silence of Kandracar. A fortress on the clouds surrounded by blue skies. It was really peaceful here. That would change in a few minutes if her theory was correct. They knew she was on the move. Probably made her a wanted enemy by now. Let every world know that she was attacking.

Breathing in the clean air, Starfire whispered, "Pord Lartsa. Pord Lartsa. Pord Lartsa. Pord Lartsa. Pord Lartsa. Pord Lartsa. Pord Lartsa. Pord Lartsa." After the Astral Drops were created and stood around, Starfire lifted her hand and shot them with a bit of Quintessence. It didn't hurt them. Mostly tickled them. They were now exact copies. They looked the same, spoke the same, conscious, and had intelligence and strength. But unlike Starfire, when they would fall, they'd fade away. And they didn't have the red Remnant of Quintessence.

Once they were ready and waiting with different positions, Starfire pointed up the stairs and ordered, "Attack all who are inside and don't hold back. _All of them._ Go." They turned towards the hallways and got a running start up the stairs. Then took to the sky, flying inside. Once they were, Will took her steps slowly. While they made the distraction, she'd search the library. No need for a rush. So she made a calm casual stride up the staircase. They would distract them long enough to let her snatch what she needed.

When the Guardians stepped into the Chamber, Himerish and the others were looking over a glowing orb in Himerish's hands. Well _others_ was sort of a loose term. Melissa decided **everyone** were much more like it. Even the fire girl, Orube, and another person. Also a girl with some really tight clothing. Jeez, how much curves are you allowed to show? Walking past Melissa, Hay-Lin quickly asked, "Where is she?"

Cassidy looked up from the orb and answered, "We are searching. We felt her pierce the veil but have yet to know of where. How is Elyon?"

She shrugged and answered, "Healing."

Taranee crossed her arms and focused on the new girl. A lot of new people popping in lately. Melissa, Mariho, and this girl with deep blue hair and a staff on her back. Who was she? Himerish shook his head and said, "She could be anywhere right now. We need—" The entrance doors blew off their hinges and straight into the chamber with a resonating bang, spooking everyone into a jump. The Guardians took up defensive positions with everyone else, eyes on the cloud of dust. Even Halinor got into it.

Cornelia had a good mind to push this girl into a fire. She hummed at the movement beyond the dust and ash. The person they were looking for walked in. Her footsteps were silent, legs slowly moving. Hair dark as night, face cold as described. Melissa looked her up and down. Her body shape looked really familiar. Has she seen her before? Himerish and the rest of the council stood up and did their own thing. Kadma grabbed her staff and spun it into a state of attack. "Who are you?!" She bellowed.

The girl stopped and just stared. Jeez, was that freaky. It was as if she were deciding on how to hurt them. Until she burst into flames and proceeded closer. Mariho rolled her eyes and pulled back her arm, preparing a fireball before a bolt of lightning hit her out of nowhere, sending her flying back. Undeterred, she flipped and landed on her feet while the others tried to find out where that came from. "You like it?" They shifted their sights towards the right at a statue, where another one was leaning against with crossed arms, smirking with evil intent. "I know I like it. How about you girls?"

Cornelia looked between the two of them when a third walked through the door. And a fourth. Fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth. They spanned out but didn't answer the question. One lit her hands on fire while another created _water?!_ Irma gasped and asked, "She has water?!"

Then another had electricity. Possibly Quintessence, but it was too early to tell. Another's body grew vines and such out of the ground bearing thorns. Melissa had enough of the waiting. She raised her hands and blew a wind burst. Her target jumped to the side and underarmed a ball of water for her. Melissa jumped and rolled to the side and ran for her. Then the others moved in, starting off the fight. Taranee took to the air and engaged in hand to hand with her own. The same one who hit Mariho. She ducked a swing and brought her fist into this one's side before a hand yanked her down by the leg. Oh right. There were eight of them. They had flown up and grabbed her, hoping to pull her down. Taranee looked back up just in time to get a punch to the face, throwing it to the side. Then slapped with the back of her hand, yanking out a cry.

Kadma jumped over the stand and ran to one engaged in a fight with the new girl. She raised her staff over her head and swung it low, flipping her off her feet. Te intruder hit the ground with a yelp on her front and dissipated into black smoke, floating up into the sky. Kadma gasped and yelled, "They're fake! Knock them down!"

Melissa swung her foot and roundhoused one in the face, responding, "Trying!" Then leaned back before they could scratch her. She hit an incoming fist to the side and ducked left under her next swing. She lifted her foot and hooked her ankle. Then pulled. She was yanked off her feet and onto her back. Then dissipated too. Six more to go.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Starfire could hear the intense fighting going on upstairs. It was funny how they fell for the Astral Drops. When she was a Guardian they used to do it all the time at school. It must've felt different on others. Those days were forever over. Starfire calmly walked into the library and stopped to look around. High ceilings with who knows how many shelves of books. She had to go to the reference section, which was above her. Full of color and... Starfire raised her right hand and caught the claw coming for her face from behind. It was about time. This one was hiding in the corner before she walked in.

Starfire yanked the claw and bashed the back of her head into Luba's nose. Then gripped the rest of her arm to lift her over, and slam her onto the ground in front of her. The air was knocked out of Luba's lungs before she was grabbed by the neck and hoisted up. Luba's claws scratched at her arm, but it was futile. Starfire smiled and greeted, "Hello, Luba. Perhaps you can help me. Where is the book on The Remnants of the Aurameres?"

Starfire tossed Luba back onto the ground and watched her jump back up for another attack. Luba growled and whispered, "I will never tell you. I do not bow to children." Then jumped and swiveled around for a kick. Starfire flicked her wrist as if she shooed a fly away. It had the desired effect. One thing Will was grateful for when they switched powers was the fact that it gave her the chane to learn about air molecules. They were all in what would be called a "Soup of Air". They were her playthings. Luba was pushed back off balance and sent flying onto stone ground. Before she could jump back uo, Starfire walked to stand over her and stomped her foot on Luba's chest, pinning her down. Luba gabbed her ankle but found her arms and head thrust back onto the ground, unmoving. She could only stare into this girl's cold eyes, glaring at her.

Starfire leaned in and shook her head, whispering, "I don't want you bowing to me. I want you _pleading_ to me." She lifted her left hand and snapped her fingers. At her command, the air molecules started to vibrate against each other, heating the room. She could see Luba feel it. She herself couldn't. The fur on this feline's face started to matte with sweat, her lungs desperate for cool air. "Now. That book? I can sit here and watch you roast then I can go and look myself. So either you tell me and watch me grab it, or you roast alive and I _still_ grab it. Either way, I win this round."

Luba stared into her red eye. This girl was serious. There was no way she could fight them alone. She grunted and whispered, "The Guardians will stop you."

"Oh Luba." Shaking her head, Starfire clicked her tongue and sneered, "They can _try_. But I know their weaknesses. Their loves, hopes, dreams, goals, where they live, what they do, where they hang out, what time they go there, what they like, and what they don't like. I know it all. They don't even know my name. The one who has the biggest advantage here... Would be me. Better start talking. It's getting a little toasty."

Luba huffed and closed her eyes. It was too hot to struggle. Like an oven. She relented and struggled to whisper, "Third level, r-records of Legends."

Starfire nodded and snapped her fingers again, ceasing her control over the air. Then grabbed Luba by the throat once more and lifted her up to her face. This girl was strong. Too strong. "Thank you. Now I always enjoy the help of a librarian." With Luba in her hold, Starfire flew straight up and began the search. She would know when she saw it. The images were imprinted in her mind.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Those currently engaged in combat back in the Chamber were down to two. And they quickly went down with an underarm swing. Then all was quiet. The new girl bent low and rested on her knees, taking deep breaths. The others were a little winded as well. With her hands on her hips, Taranee leaned back and took a few deep breaths to state between intakes, "That... Was tough."

Mariho nodded but asked, "So... Where is... The real one?"

"Isn't this just impressive." Sighing in annoyance Cornelia turned to the door with everyone else. Another one. But this one was definitely different. Mainly becasue of the glowing red thing with gold around her neck. Starfire walked through the damage with an unconscious Luba in one hand, and a book in the other. Smirking. She looked just like her copies. But they could tell this was the real one. "Your cat tried to scratch me. So I nearly cooked her. You can have her back."

She pulled back her arm and threw Luba like trash towards them. Destination for the stone wall of the gallery. Kadma gasped and caught her on the downfall, sending them both to the ground sliding. Ripping her eyes away from the scene, Cornelia scowled at Starfire. "Who are you? Why did you burn down Meridian?!"

Starfire grinned and stated, "To send a message. Oh! And what is this?!" She snickered at Mariho and the new girl. "Who are the additions?"

Mariho did a fire dance and responded, "I am Mariho, the girl of fire from Hootakah! You are becoming quite the nuisance of the Infinite Dimensions."

Will silently chuckled to herself. "I love being a nuisance, it makes things really... Interesting. And you?"

The new girl readied herself and answered, "I am January, Warrior of—"

"Cool, cool," Starfire interrupted. "Like the month."

Himerish stood up and asked, "Why are you here? What is it that you are seeking?"

Starfire lifted up the book and answered, "I came to check out of your library. Your librarian is really mean. So I beat her to a crisp. She'll wake up."

Kadma stood up and stated, "You will answer to Kandracar law!"

"I already did. Now it's your turn. I've come to inflict... Pain on everyone aligned with you. Those that are _not_ are safe. But those that _are_ will plead for my mercy."

Irma grunted and muttered, "I'm tired of this." Then flew straight for her with the others. Starfire sighed and placed the book in the air beside her like it was a bookshelf. Then readied herself for their approach. Irma reached her first.

Starfire ducked from a near swing to the face and filled her hands with air. Then slammed them straight into her chest at the right moment. Will was always good at timing. Irma cried out and flew straight back into one of the pillars with a boom, falling onto her face unconscious. Melissa gasped and flew over to check on her while the others proceeded. Taranee was next. Flying in the air, she flipped and threw a fireball down to her. Starfire caught it with one hand and dodged left from Mariho's swings, balancing it. Then right. She hit an incoming fist away then jumped up and swiveled her leg around, bringing her foot into her cheek. Then threw the fireball fast towards Taranee, hitting her in the abdomen and back towards the others.

Two out of the way, Starfire raised her palm and shouted, "Water!" Gathering the moisture in the air, she entangled Cornelia and threw her into Hay-Lin. Without turning to her right, she lifted her hand and fired lightning for January. She dodged one and jumped up over another, still charging. Rolling her eyes, Starfire calmly flicked her hand, sending her back towards the stands by grabbing her with the air. January flipped and landed on her feet. Ready to go once again while Starfire did the same to Mariho. She landed next to her then regrouped with the Guardians, tired and winded. Melissa was looking over Irma, one hand over her head and listening for a heartbeat. That was a really hard hit. But thankfully, she only had a large red bruise on her chest. Melissa looked up and reported, "Whatever she did knocked her out good."

Cornelia growled and whispered, "She's good. _Really_ good."

Mariho had to agree with her on that. She watched Kadma abandon Luba for a moment. Then twirl her staff and fly straight to her. "You fight like a grown woman," she said. "Can you handle a grown woman?"

Starfire rolled her eyes and answered. "In more ways than one." Kadma ran over and spun her staff, about to confuse Will before she took the lead and teleported behind her and out of the way from her swing. Or so she thought. Will knew exactly how she fights. She had a trap setup somewhere. So she teleported again when she swung back and where she was once more. She ripped Kadma's staff out of her hold from behind and tossed it away. "Why don't you try with your hands? Isn't that how grown women fight?"

Kadma happily obliged. She jumped back and got into a position while Will got into her own. Then jumped forward. Kadma blocked an incoming blow and another before Will jumped and somersaulted over, landing behind her. Then moved to the side, allowing Kadma to fall through, lifting her foot, she swiveled around and brought it straight into her back. Kadma yelped but got back up from the floor and was knocked back by a fist. Then grabbed by the neck and hit again. Will swung her around in an orbit and slammed her back down onto the hard ground. Hard. Hay-Lin gasped and yelled, "Kadma!" She needed to do something. To take her out. She brought her hand back and gathered a ball of electricity. Then swung it straight to Will. She saw it coming. This happened last time with nasty results. Never again.

Lifting her own hand, she whispered, "Quintessence." And caught it. Then let Kadma go and threw it right back. The Guardians jumped to the side and let it hit the pillar behind them creating dust with a bang. Hay-Lin looked up from the ground in disbelief. No one should be able to catch Quintessence like that! Focusing back on the task at hand, Will reached down to grab Kadma by the throat and slugged her once. Twice. Thrice. The lifted her up and did it one more time, swinging her face to the side. Then twisted, turned, and roundhoused her with a bit of air involved, sending her flying back a few feet to the ground. Unconscious. The Oracle has had enough.

He took a deep breath and yelled, "Enough!" Then began to float over to her. "You have entered a sacred place and caused pain and anguish!"

"So what, are you going to send me to jail?" Starfire responded. "Himerish, your tactics and abilities do not work on me." She raised her hand and whispered, "Air." Stopping his advancements. He glanced around at the ground underneath him and tried to teleport. It wasn't working. He did it again with the same result. He couldn't even move. This wasn't a regular levitation ability or spell. Starfire shook her head and asked, "How does it feel Himerish... To be utterly helpless? Strapped down and powerless? Sound familiar? I am here to... Right your wrongs, in a sense. There was a girl that you recently held here who can no longer remember who she once was." Himerish gulped while the Guardians listened. Mariho and January had no idea what she was talking about. But they definitely did. Except Melissa. She just watched. Starfire flicked her hand back and sent him flying roughly into his seat. She slowly lowered it while everyone else scowled at her and said, "You know it was wrong. I watched you do it. Now she struggles to remember everything she once was. Important things. But why? For power? For gain? No. It was for _help."_

Halinor yelled, "She went about it the wrong way—!"

"So you had to nearly kill her and erase her mind?!" She yelled. "She can't remember anything about herself! How do I know this hasn't happened before?! Out of fear you erase her! Out of fear, you hurt her! Out of fear, you do not help her! Yes, she may have attacked you. And it may have hurt you to watch. But does she truly deserve what has happened to her? To what is _still_ happening to her? I saw it happen. I witnessed _everything!_ Kandracar is corrupt. And will be dismantled."

Cornelia stood up from Irma's side and yelled, "She tried to stab Taranee!"

"And now she has a hole in her face!" Starfire retorted. Then pointed to Taranee and added, "This one lives and is well while the one you called friend suffers daily in pain, frustration, agony, and despair! With no memory of who she once was! Possibly living a lie in the home she can't remember from her past! Wishing for everything to go back to normal! Kandracar is supposed to help, not maim for _**life!**_ " She turned back and pointed to Himerish to snarl, "You asked what was I doing here? I am here to take apart the corruptness of this place, this empire, this dimension! Everyone aligned with Kandracar will fall! And it all starts with Meridian and this fortress!"

Hay-Lin asked, "Who made you jury and executioner?!"

Will turned to her and snarled, " _You_ did." Hay-Lin slowly lost her anger and replaced her scowl with a look of contempt. "The second _you_ threw that lightning. You knew what she was suffering from. You were the leader. The leader leads and searches for a better solution. Not attack. Would it not have been better for you to take her to Himerish? If he could _erase_ her mind, why could he not _stabilize_ it?" Himerish sighed from his seat and closed his eyes. As much as he didn't want to admit it... She was right. Rearranging chemicals in her head would have been easier than erasing it. "And now? because of what you have done? Kandracar is over." He looked up at her when she lifted her hand outwards. "You know it was wrong, I know it was wrong, but none of you are trying to make it right. So... I will." Will took in a deep breath and yelled, "QUINTESSENCE!" Lightning shot out of her fingers while the Guardians prepared for another round. It hit the ground and began to create a shape. Cirling her and casting a bright light that had everyone except Will covering their eyes. Once she was done. She stopped her power and lowered her hand. Then all was silent.

Barely noticeable, but still there, the ground moved and vibrated. It shifted and groaned. A crack shot out from Will's target and spread like spider webs all over the floor. Underneath their feet and everywhere else. Then it moved. Like a claw, it rose up and slammed down onto the floor on Will's left, who hasn't even moved from her space. It was big and sharp, and would more than likely cut someone into pieces with one swipe. Gray and blue, glossy from the surface pieces. Then another shot out and landed on her right. And finally lifted what was in between. A dragon. The largest dragon they had ever seen and bigger than Cedric that took out a third of the floor. Melissa tok a deep breath and followed its head when it overshadowed her. It stood up on hind legs too and even had a tail. Off white with a glossy bit. Its eyes were red and mouth filled with jagged rock. Cornelia gulped and whispered, "Oh no."

Will turned around and began to walk underneath it towards the door, stepping on the air from the whole in the ground for her book. She raised her hand and ordered, "Rip this place apart. I do not care what you do to those in here. Just get rid of this entire building. This worthless castle." She grabed her book and looked over her shoulder. "I assure you, from what I know about all of you this will not be the last time we meet. Don't wait up. Ta-ta." Then walked out the door just in time for the first swing. Those behind the stands either jumped or teleported out of the way when the dragon lifted its claw and swung it down on the benches. Then swiped it. Melissa quickly picked up Hay-Lin's unscious form to run out before the dust and destruction reached that area. Mariho swung a single fire ball to hit it. Not even a burn mark.

Hay-Lin rushed to Melissa to help her with Irma when the dragon's tail knocked down five of the pillars, creating even more shaking. Melissa had her arms and Hay-Lin her legs. Then together carried her to the door amidst all the destruction. While they moved around falling bricks and dust, Melissa's mind was trying to come up with explanations of what that girl was taking about. From what it sounded like, she was furious about something that happened to someone else. But what was that?

Another pillar fell in their path, forcing a sliding stop. Mariho pointed to the right and desperately led them around the pillar. When they finally reached everyone else in the doorway, Hay-Lin yelled, "I think we've reached the boss level!"

Taranee nodded and responded, "I'll say! How does she have Quintessence?!"

Hay-Lin shot her hand forward and fired at the dragon ripping apart the room. It was only a matter of time before it walked out. Her power ripped out a chunk of its rear, taking out its left hind leg. She fired again and again, eventually taking it out after a few minutes. "No idea," she finally answered. "No one else has Quintessence except the keeper."

Halinor slowly walked past her and into the room to spectate the damage. It was as if an explosion rocked it. She sighed and turned around. "She is strong. And smart."

Melissa laid down Irma and asked, "What was that she was talking about?"

The Oracle answered, "It is a very sensitive topic for us. And whoever she is... She knows about it."

Cornelisa threw up her arms and yelled, "And we _still_ don't have a name! She came in, threw us around, then grabbed a book. What was that anyway?"

Tibor shook his head and answered, "No clue. We must wait until Luba wakes to ask. Until then, I suggest we start the healing process of these three." They shifted their sights down to the three unconscious fighters. Kadma got the worst out of all of them. Irma was blasted into a pillar, and Luba... There was no telling.

Hay-Lin opened a rift and suggested, "We'll take her back to our base and do what we can." She hooked her arms underneath Irma's while Taranee took her legs. Then walked through the rift with the mentality that they failed into the Silver Dragon's basement. They failed to capture her.

Taranee and Hay-Lin moved over to the couch and set her down softly onto the cushions. Once Melissa and Cornelia were through Hay-Lin closed the portal and changed them all back. Then all was silent. Cornelia couldn't believe this. She crossed her arms and started pacing, taking deep breaths to cease her nerves. "No name, no identity, no origin, nothing," she muttered. Then leaned over and placed her hands on the table. She needed to stay calm. The Guardians were being ripped apart right now. Kandrakar was nearly destroyed by the same girl who destroyed Meridian, leaving it to ashes. And they have Quintessence.

"We know she has Quintessence." She looked over to a chair at Taranee, writing a note. "She has Quintessence, she has Air, she has Water, she has Fire, and she has Earth. And she looks like a darker version of the Guardians. Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

Hay-Lin placed a bag of ice on Irma's chest and answered for them, "She's a Quinto. That's our base ground."

Melissa glanced between them all. "I'm sorry, but what's a Quinto?"

Cornelia tapped a pen against the table, eyes on Melissa right across. "A Quinto-Guardian who holds all the abilities. All of us... Mixed into one. She could possibly be a whole bunch of people in one form."

Taranee asked, "But who would those prople be?"

Hay-Lin shook her head and answered, "No idea and no clue. But this person has some fire in her. She's not our average villain, using others to do their durty work. She's strong and goes in herself. There's no one working for her, which means there's no one to interrogate. She doesn't say her name, which means we can't ask or look her up. She has no weapons except the Elements and Quintessence so we can't track those either."

Melissa raised her hand and asked, "What about that red thing? Like, by her neck?"

There was a frosen moment of silence before Cornelia turned her way and asked, "You saw that too?"

What were they talking about? Hay-Lin asked, "What red thing?"

Cornelia shrugged and twirled her finger at the base of her neck. "I don't know what it was exactly, but there was a glowing blood red thing right here. I think I saw some gold too. It definitely wasn't jewelry."

Taranee definitely wrote that down. "At least we have something. Even that's better than a memory of her face that no one can recognize."

Melissa wasn't so sure. When she walked in the room, she recognized her body shape but had trouble placing it. She placed her hand under her chin and focused on the floor. "I don't know girls. I... I think I may have have seen her before."

Taranee swirled her body around and Immediately asked, "How?"

Melissa slowly shook her head and answered, "You know how you're like at the mall and you see someone walk past and you're like, 'Do I know her?'"

Cornelia nodded and answered, "Yep, all the time."

Melissa slowly nodded. "That's what I felt. But it was really close. Like, I've seen her really recently. But I don't know where."

 _ **W.I.T.C.H**_

After returning in the alley from before with the book, Starfire set it back in the air and closed the rift so she could change. In a deep red flash, she was no longer Starfire. She was once again a sixteen year old girl with no memories. But even hiding those eyes of anger and after grabbing the book to head home, there was no mistaking the cold moisture coming down her face.

Will reached up and stroked her left cheek. Then slowly pulled back her hand. Hurting those she once was. Hurting those who were considered her family in the past, and hurting others. That's not who she is. She's a protector. A Guardian. A person far more than capable of defeating any villain.

But then she remembered. They stripped that title from her, replaced it with lost memories and a burn that has scarred her forever. The tears on her face sizzled away and were replaced with anger. As long as she doesn't think about what was currently happening to them, then she can move on with the plan. They hurt and damaged her. Now she would hurt and damage them.

With that, Will grabbed her book and made her way out of the alley. She had some reading to do.


	14. Theory Of The Past

**Theory Of The Past**

Irma was going to be in Hay-Lin's care for the remainder of the day, meaning they were down a Guardian until things settled down. Cornelia decided to accompany Melissa out the door and Taranee decided to stay with Hay-Lin, meaning they were left alone. But her friend knew better. Hay-Lin knew exactly what she wanted to talk about.

Once the door to the stairwell shut, Taranee swiveled her chair around and sat in it backwards to face Hay-Lin who was in the same position. "...what if she got her memories back?" She asked.

Hay-Lin sighed and immediately answered, "The Oracle said he got rid of them."

"But what if she got them back somehow? And is going after us for what happened?" Taranee lifted her right hand and counted off her fingers. "First Elyon and Meridian. Then all of us at Kandracar. We've never heard of this person before. But she... Somehow knows about us. All of us. That's no coincidence. Not to mention something else she said."

"And what was that?"

"When January was speaking, she interrupted her and was like, 'Like the month.' That's no coincidence. She's not from some kind of other dimension if she knows about the month of January. That means she's been on Earth before. We're in her sights. She knows all our names and knew our attacks. The only ones who even have an _idea_ are Halinor, Yan-Lin, and... Will. Because she's the one who optimized those attacks and helped us master them. I wouldn't be surprised if this girl knew where we lived."

Hay-Lin shook her head and whispered, "It's not Will, Taranee. It can't be."

"I'm just saying... We should just keep an eye on her for awhile. Just a close one to be sure."

Hay-Lin sighed but nodded. Will wasn't a risk they were willing to take. If she was back, then that meant extreme deadly trouble. She whispered, "Alright, but... What about Melissa? If Will is in fact 'back with a vengeance', how can we break it to her that her girlfriend is the one destroying everything?"

"By telling her that Will was the Guardian who was reinstated. And why. She deserves to know. But only if it is in fact Will causing pain here."

Hay-Lin sighed and nodded. They really should've told her by now. But they decided to let bygones be bygones. "If Will is in fact back... We need to step our game up," Hay-Lin whispered. She shifted her eyes up to Taranee's and added, "She was able to stop a lightning bolt and just wrecked Meridian _and_ Kandracar. And we couldn't fight her, even with backup. She knocked out Irma with a single hit and beat Kadma _and_ Luba. Not to mention rendered the Oracle powerless. She's not one to toy around with."

Irma broke the tense air by moaning from the couch, replacing it with relief. Taranee stood up and made her way over while Hay-Lin nearly fell out of her chair. Silently cursing she righted herself and stood over Irma when her eyes finally cracked open. Her blurry trained on Taranee's smiling face who greeted, "Hey, sleepyhead. How do you feel?"

Irma groaned and reached up to her head, grimacing from th. "All I remember was getting hit by a truck. Did we get that license plate number?"

Hay-Lin popped in and shook her head. "Sorry, she got away. She's really good. Took all of us down, somehow got Luba, and beat Kadma black and blue. The Oracle was frozen. Then she used Qunitessence and created a Dragon that tore apart the chamber. And just to be clear, we _still_ don't have a name."

Irma groaned and closed her eyes. "Well do we at least have an itch?"

Taranee nodded and ansanswered, "Yeah. Will." Irma opened her eyes back up and focused on her. "Whoever she is knows what we did to Will. She scolded all of us, said she was going to rip apart Kandracar starting with Kandracar and Meridian, then destroyed the Chamber."

Irma sat up and asked, "Are there any clues?"

Hay-Lin answered, "Melissa and Cornelia said they spotted something red and gold glowing at the base of her neck. But that's it. Besides a description, that's as good as it gets. Taranee has a crazy theory that it might be Will."

Irma gasped and repeated, "Will? But she lost her memories."

Taranee sat at the foot of the couch unknowingly on _Irma's_ foot and clarified, "This girl knows our names, what we did, and made it known she has been on Earth before. She knew it all. This isn't just a regular person, they know stuff. About _us._ The only ones who do are our group. You, myself, Hay-Lin, Cornelia, Melissa a little bit—she's still new, Yan-Lin, and... That's it on Earth. Then everyone else on different worlds. She knew our names. Knew what we did, said she saw it with her own eyes. Whoever they are, knew everything. She even asked if the Oracle could erase her mind, why couldn't he stabilize it?"

Irma made known, "I've actually asked that question myself. It would be so much easier. Give her like community service instead of erasing her mind."

"But Will isn't a guardian any more," Hay-Lin interrupted. "That's why he..." Hay-Lin stopped talking and shifted her sights to the ceiling.

Taranee looked her way and asked, "What?"

Hay-Lin continued staring at Irma for a few seconds. Then wiggled a finger at Taranee and whispered, "You might be right. That might be Will."

"And _how_ is that good news?"

Hay-Lin faced her and asked, "Remember what she said when we first had it out? She wanted the Heart for ECT. ECT is what therapists and whoever else uses to stabilize the brain by shooting electricity in your head like static. She wasn't power hungry, just wanted help apparently. She's been asking for help all this time, but we didn't. Instead, she gets her face burned and memories erased. If she did in fact somehow get her memories back, then the first thing she'd do was rub it in our faces. To be honest, I would too. Especially if I somehow turn into a Quinto-Guardian with every last one of our powers."

"...she's a Quinto?" Irma repeated.

"Yeah, she has all our powers. I think Taranee _might_ be right. Or it could just be an all powerful deity who watches us all the time, is older than the Oracle, and has the face of a teenage girl who holds a grudge against us keeping Kandracar a secret through any means necessary."

The room fell silent for a moment before Irma asked, "So... If it is her... What do we do?"

Taranee shrugged and asked, "Do _you_ wanna talk to her?"

" _Heck_ no! And get your vagina off my foot, I feel nothing but hair and moisture." Taranee slapped her thigh but refused to move.

Hay-Lin rolled her eyes, but answered, "If it is Will, we'll tell the Oracle."

"And Melissa?"

"...I don't know how in that situation. We'll tackle it when it comes."

 _ **W.I.T.C.H**_

No noise reached Will's ears. She was too focused on the book in front of her. The cover was purple and nothing else. It was just like a book you would see in a cartoon movie. Bare and basic on the outside. Similar to a journal. Her desk was littered with notes and a single blue stuffed frog. Melissa wouldn't like this one because it's poisonous in real life. She doesn't like poisonous frogs. Will made one more note about where to find the Remnant of Water. Then sighed and set her pencil to the side.

She sat back and crossed her arms, staring at the frog and wondering what would her girlfriend say about this? The girl she loved with all her heart. The girl across the street. Melissa. Will sighed and turned her head to the window. What would happen? She didn't want to lose her. Will closed her eyes. She'd reach that point when she got to it. And when she did, hopefully she'd understand.

Her vibrating phone ripped her out of her thoughts and brought her to the present. It shifted along the desk, nearing the edge before Will summoned it into her hand with a zip. The person calling always brings a smile to her face. She pressed answer and brought it to her left ear. "Hey, 'lissa."

 _"Hey! How was your day?"_

Will shrugged and lied, "Uneventful. How was yours?"

 _"Same. So my parents are having a little cookout thing or something going on over here on Thursday. You wanna slide over?"_

Cook out? Will sat up and asked, "Wait, as in like relative cookouts? Where other family comes over?" Will wasn't so sure about that. She was all for meeting new people but this was a new one. A different level. She balled and unballed her right fist, eyeing the desk like she lost something.

 _"Pleeease, Will? I don't wanna die alone."_

Will smirked and rolled her eyes. "Of course. I'm not gonna let you die alone," she responded. "I love you too much for that. If you're gonna die, I'm dying with you."

 _"So you'll come?"_

Will sighed and nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'm not doing anything any time soon. At least until mom tells me to get a job. What time is it?"

 _"It's more like an all day thing. It's a cook out."_

"Alright. I'll be there."

 _"Thank you so much. Love you, Will."_

"I love you too, Melissa." Melissa hung up the phone first before Will did. She was just invited to a party with her girlfriend. Was jewelry allowed, because she literally cannot take off this necklace. Will reached up to feel along the large red cube at the base of her neck. The gold chain thing had somehow changed into a small collar of some sort that was tight against her skin. Yeah, this was definitely not a normal necklace. She wouldn't have it any other way.

And according to the book in front of her, it's a remnant of Quintessence. Apparenty, when Xin-Jing created the Guardians, the dragons held a lot of power. Too much power. Enough to cause chaos and spur unnatural things to happen. It was too much for one person. So she broke them down to a tiny bit they could actually use and placed the large remains in gems she hid on different worlds. She couldn't get rid of them. But the kicker in all of this?

It was a legend. No one knew if they existed or not because the Remnants have never been found. Or even seen. Except now. The Remnant of Quintessence. This is the centerpiece to all of them. The book even recalls stories of what happens when it is placed on. A very notable one was that you could never take them off. Once they were on you, they were bonded to you. Only you can control and use it until you die. Unlike the Heart of Kandracar, which you can pass along with a few words.

This legend was really spot on. Will muttered, "That explains a lot." Will knew what she had to do. It was crazy, but it would definitely get her point across. Will sighed and shut the book. That was enough reading. Now she had planning. And not to take over the Infinite Dimensions. But for a party.

Will slid her chair back and stood up for her closet by the window. What was she gonna wear? With her tongue out, Will dug around and pulled out a very pretty red sundress. How many of these does she have in here? She just wore an orange one, then a black one. Now here's a red one. A bright red one. There must've been a sale she took advantage of in the past.

Now, she has to fake having Amnesia. With her hands on her dress, Will sighed and muttered, "I'm burying myself a grave." Then closed the closet.

 _ **W.I.T.C.H**_

Just like they planned, the Guardians returned to Kandrakar to talk about what happened yesterday. The walk to the chamber was thick. Their feet felt heavy against the smooth stone path as they progressed. Irma could see the damage from up ahead. A lot of broken rock and rubble littering the rest of the walkway that they had to jump over in order to get to the other side into the true damage. Irma's mouth was wide open. She slept through all of _this_?! She trained her focus back ono the task at hand: Getting an update.

 _No one bring up the theory about it possibly being Will,_ Hay-Lin pinged to everyone besides Melissa. They focused on her for a moment then back to the scene. Himerish was once again front and center. Elyon, Caleb, the Council including Luba who was once again back in action, January, and... Uh oh. Hay-Lin nudged Cornelia and motioned with her head towards the corner. Matt. Matt was here in his regent form. Holy crap. Cornelia gulped and elbowed Taranee, who tapped Irma. They all gulped and glanced to Melissa who was making her way to January. More than likely to check up on her and everyone else.

Irma quickly turned and whispered, "We have to tell Matt not to say anything about Will. Like, right now!"

Cornelia patted her shoulder. Then buzzed her wings and flew over the large hole to Shagon. His mask was really strange. She never voiced it, but masks weren't really her thing. He was speaking with Tibor wirb his arms crossed, asking him something. Tibor nodded his head then focused on Cornelia behind him. He glanced up at Matt and responded, "She can tell you more about what is going on before the Oracle comes in."

Shagon looked over his shoulder. Then swiveled his whole body around in surprise. He gasped and greeted from behind his mask, "Cornelia!" Then wrapped his big strong arms around her body and pulled her into a hug.

She grunted from the contact. It was so forceful. And hurt a little. But she ended up smiling and patting his back. "Hey, _Shagon._ Wassup?"

"Not much." He let her go and placed his hands on his hips to stare down at her. Or so Cornelia hoped. "Halinor burst into my room by the window and said, 'I am needed.' Then grabbed and threw me through the portal. What happened here?"

Cornelia avoided his definite gaze by glancing to the floor, sighing and answered, "It's a long story. A very long story. But we have a new enemy. And she's really, _really_ powerful. She's a Quinto."

Matt rotated his wrist in a "get on with it" fashion and asked, "What's a Quinto? C'mon, I know nothing about this place or anything else going on."

Cornelia huffed and answered, "A Quinto is a Guardian who has all of our powers."

He leaned back a little out of surprise. "...oh. Must've been a heavy fight then. But..." He looked around and asked the question Cornelia really wasn't looking forward to. "Where's Will?"

Cornelia looked around to find Melissa who was back with the others. She didn't look like she suspected anything so it must be safe. Cornelia focused back on Matt and whispered, "Don't say her name. Not right now. We'll tell you later, but not now. It's extremely important that you don't bring her up. Don't even say her hair color."

Matt had a bad feeling. It ran down his spine and to his feet. He leaned in and whispered, "Is she okay?"

"Uhhh... We're not sure at this time. Once again, we'll tell you why later."

"Hello, everyone," the Oracle greeted. That was the cue for Cornelia to pat Matt's chest and make her way back to the others. Where'd the Oracle even come from anyway?

Cornelia landed next to Hay-Lin with the others and whispered, "We'll tell him everything later."

Hay-Lin nodded her way and paid attention to the Council currently taking a seat. Once the Oracle was seated with everyone else and eyes on those inside, they went over everything. "Yesterday midday, Kandracar was attacked by a lone enemy. She has no identity, but we do have a face." He lifted his hand and conjured a life size 3D model of Starfire. She was poised in a straight up standing position staring straight at the Guardians. She was the exact same height as Taranee. Her eyes were cold, red, and heartless. Her long hair was black as night and flowing over her front, covering her breasts. And her fists were balled up at her side. Cornelia nudged Melissa and motioned to her neck. There was something red there, but it was like a tiny red star.

Matt pointed at her and asked, " _She_ is the problem?"

Elyon's voice was still hoarse, but she responded, "Do not be deceived. She is very strong. And extremely dangerous. Kadma is still recovering from yesterday, I still have a bruise, Luba had a small fever, and the Oracle from what I hear could do nothing." Matt looked back to the girl in front of him before she faded from sight, and was replaced with a live replay of the fight yesterday between her, The Guardians, and the new girls Matt was checking out. Cornelia could see him eyeing January. And she was definitely eyeing him back. Down, boy. Down.

Irma flinched when she witnessed what happened to her. Seething, she commented, "Jeez, she has a hard hit."

The Oracle diminished it and said, "She is strong and somehow managed to obtain the elements of Quintessence, Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. We have no idea who we're up against. But based off an opinion from recent events, she is offended by recent actions and is taking steps to dismantle the Infinite Dimensions. The only clue is a book she took from our library yesterday."

Luba quickly stood up and said, "She has taken a book on the Remnants of the Aurameres. The Remnants are a famed legend on the true power of the Aurameres. According to it, the power you girls have is nowhere near the true strength they _had._ Before, the Aurameres were bigger and more unstable. Enough to drive the wearer insane, and to death. Xin-Jing knew this. So she split the Auramere into a twentieth, and hid the biggest pieces in different areas on different worlds. It is only a legend but those aurameres have been sought out for centuries with no success."

Halinor added, "We believe she is looking for those pieces."

Mariho asked, "Do you think she'll be able to find them?"

Elyon shook her head and answered, "We're not sure. They're just a legend, and may or may not exist. But the main problem is she is looking to take apart the Infinite Dimensions. And we can't have that."

Himerish hummed and nodded. "No we cannot." Taranee's raised hand caught his attention and intrigue. "Speak, Guardian."

Taranee cleared her throat and said, "Based off of a few things we've noticed so far, we think... She may be on Earth. Or even _from_ Earth." January and Mariho shared a glance while Matt glanced to the new Guardian, Melissa. Rubbing her left arm nervously and looking around. Who was she? "We noticed she knew our names as well as a slip up she said yesterday. When January introduced herself, she said, 'Like the month'. There are no other worlds out there that have a month titled January."

Elyon nodded and looked to Himerish. "She may be on to something." The congregation turned their sights to Luba. Her eyes were zeroed in on Taranee, narrowed in focus. "Yesterday in the library before I coalesced to her demands, I told her that The Guardians would stop her."

Irma smirked and fawned, "Awww, that's sweet, Luba."

"But then she said the Guardians knew nothing about her. But she knew their names, where they live, what they do, where they do them, where they go to school, their parents, all of it. She even said she knew their loves."

 _Will,_ Melissa thought. Her heart filled with dread and her blood ran cold. This person probably knew Will. And everything about her too. Taranee and Hay-Lin shared another look. Things were adding up way too much. Hay-Lin turned back to the Oracle and added to Taranee's clue, "Oracle. Taranee and I have a theory on who it may be. Based off of even earlier and recent events, it could be... _**H**_ _ **er.**_ "

Melissa was absolutely positive she was missing something by this point. She looked to January and Mariho who looked back and shrugged. They had no idea either. The Oracle stood up and asked, "Are you sure?"

Taranee shook her head and answered, "It's only a theory."

Melissa rolled her eyes and asked, "I'm sorry, but who is 'she'? You guys are talking strange again."

It took a few moments of silence before someone finally started to speak up. Elyon answered, "'She' was the Guardian before you who lost control of herself. Greed overtook her mind and a fight broke out for the Heart of Kandrakar. It was a very dangerous fight. And she possesed skills we didn't even know were possible. She was able to take down all of them and one of you would be dead right now if I didn't bash her in the head."

Melissa looked at her friends who were trying to avoid an awkward gaze. So that's why they never brought up the last Guardian. It must've been a very sensitive topic. They didn't even say her _name._ Elyon said, "Keep an eye on her, just in case your theory is correct. And for the sake of everyone in here... Let's hope it isn't."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Susan knew something was up with Will. For the last two days, she's been holed up in her room doing something in silence. Her excuse was that she took up a new hobby that required a lot of reading. Must've been a deep hobby, she spent the whole day "reading". Although, Susan couldn't be mad. At least she was doing something productive.

The living room was quiet and calm. The baby was sleeping, and Will was doing something else upstairs—probably reading again. So Susan and Dean decided to spend the afternoon romantically. A bowl of chocolate strawberries, some wine, and a cheesy romance flick occupied their couch ventures snuggling under a big blanket. Dean looked down to Susan lovingly and kissed her forehead. They rarely had moments like this. Just them, silence, and peace. No one else but... Was that a draft on Dean's neck?"

He looked to the right of him at the edge of the couch straight into Will's mildly amused expression. "Hi."

"Whoa!" Dean jumped and shook Susan a little, breaking her focus on the TV. With a hand on his chest Dean took a few deep breaths and desperately asked, "Where... Where did you come from?"

Will stood up and made way for the corner of the couch where her mother's head lay, smirking. "Oh you don't know the story? When a man and woman love each other very much... They have sex and a baby pops out nine months later."

Susan rolled her eyes but asked, "What is it dear? Eye trouble?"

"No!—I mean, I'm going to a cookout with Melissa tomorrow. Just wanted to let you know."

Susan gasped and asked, "Why am I now just hearing about this? Now I can't take you shopping for new clothes!" Will's knowing smirk calmed her worries. Instead, she sighed and asked, "That's why you didn't tell me, isn't it?"

Will seethed and answered, "Yep. I already have something picked out. But... I'm a little nervous." Will sat on the second couch behind her and sighed. "It's not like I'm scared to meet her family. I'm just scared of what they're going to think of me. Like... Look at me. I have like the longest and most reddest hair you could ever imagine, one covers my burned right half of my face, and... I don't even know much about my life after Fadden. Well, can't remember." Oh how Will hated lying. Maybe she could just come out of the blue and say she got her memories back in two weeks. It would make things easier. And extremely interesting.

Susan sighed and waved her hand to herself, gesturing Will closer. She stood up and made her way over. When she was close enough, Susan reached up behind the hair and softly cupped Will's burned and cracked half. She smiled into her eyes and whispered, "You may be damaged, but that just makes you different. And if that pretty girl across the street enjoys your presence as much as I do, then she'll be there to watch over you. Now who's my big strong girl?"

Will rolled her eyes and groaned, "Mom... Not in front of your boyfriend."

"Husband. Come on, who is it?"

Will huffed and whispered, "I am."

"That's right. Now come here." Will leaned down and allowed her mother to place her soft kiss on her forehead. Then slowly pull away. With a smile, Susan guaranteed, "You'll do fine, sweetie. But just in case you're taking your medicine tomorrow."

"Okay. Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome. I love you, Will."

"I love you too."


	15. Future, Meet Past

**Future, Meet Past**

Today was the day. Oh my gosh today was the day. Way before the sun rose Will was pacing the floor with her teeth gnawing on her fingernails. Today was the day for the party. The day Will was going to meet Melissa's family. To say she was nervous would be the worst thing you ever said. Not to mention a complete understatement. What would happen if they saw her face? What would she say when asked about it, if they had the _nerve_ to?! Will stopped her pacing and took a deep calming breath. But... What if—

Will raised her hands to surrender to the calm and took another breath. It was just her girlfriend's family. She's faced tougher things before and came out just fine—not counting the burn behind her hair. Will made a mental note to keep her hair in check. It was really long by this point. She remembered in the past back in Fadden she'd always have to get a haircut every two weeks. And puberty was worse. Thankfully—no matter how embarrasing it was, her mother taught her how to... Shave properly. That conversation made her ears ring. And just thinking about it was giving her a headache. Will groaned and calmly walked back to her bed, presenting a bright red dress.

The dress she was going to wear today was the red sundress, conveniently stitched with a cube shaped hole at the neckline for her Remnant. When Will tried it on last night, it poked right through and shined bright like the sun. Only red. She wondered if Melissa noticed the change in color or the change in size. Because it gripped tight around her neck.

Before Will knew it, she had taken her bath and gotten her hygienics out of the way, ate breakfast, brushed her teeth, and sat down at the table to be applied to with some more cream by her mother. Today must be a lazy day because she was lounging around in her pajamas. She didn't have to worry about not looking her best because her mother had that smile on her face. The one she makes when something good was going to happen. It reassured Will that everything was going to work out. Susan sighed and whispered, "Look at you in your red dress, flats, and hair."

While she was rubbing in the material, Will groaned and glanced away. "Yeah..."

Susan chuckled and patted Will's right arm. "You'll be fine, stop worrying. I bet Melissa's nervous too. You two can tackle it together. I don't know why _she_ would be worried though, it's _her_ family, right?"

Will answered, "Yeah, but their relationship is strained since they all live in Jersey. I wonder why they came all the way up here."

"Well I think it's very sweet she invited you over." Susan removed her hand from Will's face and wiped it on a towel. The cream was like a lotion, mainly for moisture since all the damage had been replaced with a large rugged dry black aura with scarring. Will's right eye was gray and lifeless now. She could only see out of her left one. But Susan took it all in with a smile and reminded her daughter of something very important. She reached out and cupped Will's right side and whispered, "Remember... Our flaws are what makes us special. So don't worry about being different, sweetie. Okay?"

Will sighed and delivered her own smile of gratitude. At least she had two people in this cruel world who definitely loved her. Her mother and her girlfriend. Both of them loved her very much and weren't afraid to say it. "Thanks, mom," she whispered.

"You're welcome. Now go get to your girlfriend." She shifted Will's hair back into place and shooed her towards the door. "You've been in your room reading forever. Go eat some Melissa!"

Will's cheeks burned a bright red before she opened the front door and stepped out. "Mom, not like that!" Susan casually laughed before the door closed, leaving her standing on the porch. The air outside was cool and calm. The sun was bright and high in the sky. A little windy though, something she had to take note of to keep her scars hidden. A few leaves blew by in front of her face, blowing strands of bright red astray. Will took a deep breath to calm her beating heart. Then gripped her small red purse and walked down the steps.

The house across the street had two cars in front of it. Unlike the usual one car and one truck deal. This must've been a family member. Once she reached the steps of the Cordeau's she stepped up to the door and looked herself over just to check for anything. Was the sundress too short? Was she showing too much leg? The dress stopped just a little above her knee. Some families were like that. But Will thought that she was fine. So with that thought in mind, Will raised her fist and knocked on the door.

She heard a few loud voices inside and then some deep pounding footsteps before the door handle jiggled. Will quickly straightened her hair at the last second before it was pulled open by a bored Keitlyn. Will was sure those footsteps were Melissa's Father's. Oh well.

Keitlyn gasped and balled up small fists by her head. Then squeezed her eyes shut and squealed, "Ooohhh, look at you! You're so adorable!" She quickly pulled Will into a hug. "Like a bright red angel!"

 _This angel has some demons,_ Will thought. She chuckled and awkwardly patted Keitlyn's back. "Hi, Keitlyn."

Keitlyn pulled back and tugged Will into the home's hallway, still out of sight. Will could hear the television in the living room playing something and a bit of chatter before Keitlyn closed the door, then walked back into view grinning at her. "You got your little necklace glowing and everything. Melissa's upstairs getting ready I think. Come in, come in!"

She grabbed Will's arm and pulled her out from the safety of the hallway. What was with all the pushing and pulling today? First her mother, now her _girlfriend's_ mother. The living room was occupied. Not by Melissa's father, but by some other people that Will's never met. They were young, around Keitlyn's age. Possibly in college, or just graduated. She didn't know who they were, but she smiled lightly and delivered a shy little wave. Thankfully, Keitlyn came to her rescue.

She placed two hands on Will's shoulders from behind and said, "Guys, this is Will our next door neighbor. She's dating Melissa." Then quickly directed her towards the stairs. Apparently responses weren't required. "Go get her, Tigress."

Will definitely ignored that and climbed up the stairs. Like usual, the hallway was dark, and the room on the right was bright. It was closed right now though. When she reached it, she calmly knocked. "Melissa?" She called.

The door opened and Will was pulled in just as fast one more time. Then closed once again. Yeah, Melissa was still getting dressed. She probably just got out the shower, based off her jet black hair that was matted to her face and black bathrobe. Once the door was shut, Will smirked and asked, "I assume there's underwear under there?"

Melissa scoffed and flicked her forehead, ignoring her laughter. "Yes, there is," she answered. Then smiled and pecked Will on the cheek. "You're here early."

Will skipped over to her bed and sat down. Then crossed her legs while Melissa dug through her closet. Smirking, she admitted, "Yeah, I am. And glad too. I get to see a show." Her eyes were trained directly on Melissa's posterior. But the goods were hidden behind her bathrobe. Aww, too bad. But she's already seen everything.

Melissa rolled her eyes and turned back around with a bottle of lotion in one hand, and a sundress in the other. Will's eye trained directly on the dress. Then back up to Melissa, asking an unheard question. Melissa blinked and answered, "Everyone will usually be here within an hour. They're rarely late. You're just really early. You look really beautiful by the way."

Will closed her eyes when Melissa bent low and pulled her into a kiss. Will reacted by placing a hand on the left side of her face and stroking her cheek, practically melting. Melissa's kisses were like the sweetest strawberries Will ever tasted. Once Melissa pulled back, she whispered, "Absolutely sexy. Try not to entice my cousins."

Will rolled her eye and answered, "I only aim to entice you." Melissa took off her housecoat and set it behind her, exposing her underwear-clad body to Will's wandering eyes who commented, "And I see you have the same Idea."

Melissa rolled her eyes and continued applying lotion and deodorant. Her and Will exchanged pleasantries and conversation while they did, eventually ending on a high note when someone knocked on the door. Will was sitting in a chair in the corner with crossed legs, watching Melissa dig through her closet for something she wanted to show her. Her eye trained on the door while Melissa eeped, stood up straight and shut the closet.

"Hey, girl! Knock, knock, open up!"

Melissa shushed Will then walked over to the door, adjusting her outfit. Will was more chill and decided to watch. Even though she had to admit she was rather nervous. Not so much that she was shaking, but still nervous that she was meeting her girlfriend's family. Melissa pulled the door open and was immediately pulled into a hug by a girl who walked right inside. "Heyyy!" This one greeted. She was Caucasian with short light brown hair and a slightly smaller figure than Will, wearing black metal-framed glasses. She had on casual wear and looked like she was going to a party with a crop top and booty shorts. The guy that walked in behind her looked more cool than anything.

He had dark brown hair that stopped at his shoulders like a biker, light blue eyes, and a chill smile added to with crossed arms. He looked something like the girl just more boyish. Wearing blue jeans and a simple t-shirt with a guitar on the front. Their left sides were to Will, so she didn't have to worry about looks. Yet.

Melissa greeted just as happily, "Hey, Samantha!"

The guy lightly pulled the girl off so he could get a turn. Then pulled Melissa into a hug and greeted in a more calm fashion, "Hey, Melissa."

"Hi, Johnathan. How are you two? Where's Aunt Meralyn?" Melissa reached out past them, and softly closed the door back to have some privacy. She didn't want anyone else skipping into her room.

Johnathan pointed his thumb towards the door where all the chatter was coming from and answered, "Unfortunately, downstairs talking. And _loud._ "

"Yeah, whatever, SO!" Samantha pushed Johnathan away and looked around the room. She adjusted her glasses and asked, "This is where you guys live now? A weird contrast to Jersey."

Melissa nodded and quickly answered, "Yeah, it's really nice here. So I want you guys to meet—"

Samatha cut her off by grabbing her shoulders and grinning wildly into her eyes. "Hey, let's do that thing we were texting about. You know, with the water balloons and the roof?"

Water balloons and the roof? Will smirked at Melissa. What does _she_ text about? Melissa chuckled nervously and replied, "Maybe later. I have—"

"Oh, I know! How about that thing with the TV?! We could watch so much pone—!"

"Samantha!" Samantha finally closed her mouth and just blinked at Melissa. She motioned to the right with her eyes towards the bed and said, "I have company in here."

Samantha turned around towards the bed and locked eyes on Will's, who had that casual smile on her face. She gasped silently, obviously embarrassed. Then stammered, "Oh... Has she been in here this whole time?"

"Yes, she has." Melissa made way for Will who decided to finally stand and wrapped an arm around her. "Guys? This is Will Vandom, our neighbor." Will lifted her hand and waved shyly. Samantha and Johnathan waved back, trying to come with the terms she was in here the entire time. And silent as the woods.

"And..." Melissa leaned over and pecked Will's cheek. "She's my girlfriend."

Samantha gasped. Then squealed. Will had a bad feeling about this one. She ran over and pulled Will into a surprisingly tight hug. "Uhhh... Is this what you meant by dying?" Will inquired. She glanced down at Samantha and grimaced. She really wasn't much of a hugger.

Melissa shrugged and answered, "Eh, a little."

Samantha let her go and stepped back so she could look her over, hands on her hips. Will took her as an excitable child. She pointed at the two of them and said, "Aww cute, you're matching. You live next door?"

Will stammered, "I... Live across the street." She unknowingly stroked her red hair to calm her nerves. They were bouncing around in there.

"Oh! Are you from Heatherfield?"

"I've been living here for four years."

Johnathan walked over and sat on the dge of Melissa's bed with a look on his face that spelled trouble. For him anyway. He asked, "So how'd you two meet?"

"And you have such long hair!!" Samantha squealed. "Can I feel it?"

Will immediately stepped back and answered, "Uhh... Sorry, I don't let anyone touch and feel my hair like that except mom and Melissa." Was it bad that she denied someone access to her hair? She had a feeling there wwre going to be a lot more of those denials.

"Oh, I understand." Samantha laughed and reached up to stroke her own. "Mine is my treasure."

Melissa rolled her eyes and said, "Will and I met after we decided to introduce ourselves to the neighbors. Turns out mom and dad work with Will's mom. So Will and I became quick friends." Thankfully, Melissa left out what she knew about Will's "unfortunate accident".

Samantha fawned and pointed at Will's neck. "That's a really pretty necklace."

Will followed her finger towards the skin tight Remnant of Quintessence around her. Melissa did too and complimented, "You color coordinated? I thought it was pink before. And longer." Will only shrugged. Oh how she hated lying.

Johnathan from the bed pointed to the door and stated, "I think Uncle Maroon's here with everyone else. Wanna check it out?" Not waiting for a response from the girls, he stood up and led the way.

Samantha shrugged then grabbed Melissa's arm to tug her along, who grabbed Will's hand to tug her with long flowing red hair behind her. She had to reach up to keep it over her face. Hopefully, there would be no swimming pools today.

 _ **W.I.T.C.H**_

While Melissa had her day off with the family, the Guardians found this a great time to discuss what was going on back at the silver dragon. They needed all the help they could get if their theory was correct. And Will was in fact back with dark deeds. They already had Mariho, January, Elyon, Caleb, Orube, and the law enforcement of some of the dimensions. Now it was time to sit Matt down and tell him.

It didn't turn out well. Not as well as it could have been.

The Silver Dragon doesn't open until the afternoon on the weekends. So they all filed into the restaurant out in the open and gathered around some tables to recall to him the tale of a few months ago. It took a few minutes without interruptions. And once they finished, the room descended into a deep silence.

Matt had his hands clapsed in front of his face staring at the table with narrowed and focused eyes. After a few seconds he shook his head and responded, "No way, that can't be Will. You guys don't know her like I know her. Will's not... Evil. She couldn't even hurt a cockroach in a kitchen, let alone attempt at murder."

Across the table, Taranee stated, "Yeah, we know. But we fought her, Matt. We know what happened."

Matt buried his face in his hands and breathed deeply. This can't be happening, no way. "So... She knows _nothing_ of the Guardians?"

Cornelia shook her head and added, "Or about Heatherfield. Her mind's a blank. But we think she may have gotten her memories back. It would explain what that girl said during the attack and how she knew about what happened."

January sat on the edge of the table and asked, "You used to date her?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah we were a power couple. If there was something off, I'd be able to tell." He sighed and shrugged. "Well would be. Will is probably a whole different person now so she may have different habits I can't read. If she's angry, I probably won't know it."

"I think you would be able to tell if someone was angry."

Hay-Lin huffed impatiently and said, "Well either way we need confirmation of this. If Will is in fact back we need to know ASAP. The closest to Will doesn't even know about any of this."

"And who would that be?" Matt asked.

"Melissa, the New Guardian." Matt only blinked at her. "She's dating Will."

"... you're joking."

Cornelia grinned and shook her head. "Nope, they're really dating. Melissa's gay and said she had a crush on Will, and she surprisingly returned the feeling."

Elyon smirked and added, "They've been going out for nearly three months now. Or four."

"They're a really cute couple."

"So cute."

Mariho gasped in alarm and asked, "One of the Guardians is going out with a possible enemy?!"

Hay-Lin shrugged and answered, "Possibly. But we won't know until we catch Will in the act. So we're letting it be for now."

Elyon rubbed her neck and admitted, "And to be honest, I'm really hoping it isn't Will mainly because I don't want to see them heartbroken. Those two love each other. It would devastate Will because she's the one trying to possibly kill her girlfriend's friends, and it would devastate Melissa because she would have to partake in taking her down. She would have to hurt her. And Will may in fact hurt back if she doesn't back down."

Cornelia shook her head and stated, "It would be the most violent argument ever."

Matt stood up and stretched his mucles that had January eyeing him up and down. "Then ket's go and make sure it _isn't_ her. There's no time to lose."

Hay-Lin stood up with the rest of the group and asked, "How? She's with Melissa right now at a family gathering. We can't just walk in and ask to see Will, that's really disresepectful and embarrassing for Melissa."

Taranee placed a hand on her shoulder and suggested, "We can do some small surveillance. But we can't get too close. If it's in fact Will, then she'll know we're nearby. All that freaky stuff she did when we first had it out downtown lets me know she had gained some new power from somewhere. She may have a very dangerous trick up her sleeve that could take us all down. So we have to be careful and approach with caution."

"Yeah, but how?" January asked. She was becoming a little frustrated with the fact that the person they needed to take down was within hands reach, but they couldn't grab her because she was too dangerous.

Cornelia smirked from behind and drawled, "I might have an idea. Napoleon. He's a cat and another regent of Earth thanks to my sister. He's innocent and has been around with us from the beginning. He could get in close enough that they wouldn't suspect a thing."

Taranee twirled around and pointed two pistol fingers at Cornelia smirking. "That _could_ work. But this is a cook out."

"The main reason Napoleon would want to go. How about we ask him?"

Hay-Lin shook her head and said, "I don't know. I wouldn't want to."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

A few minutes of walking later and they were standing in front of the cat of the hour back at Cornelia's suave and fancy place. No one was home right now surprisingly, which meant having to wake Napoleon up from that much needed nap. After explaining the situation, he deadpanned his next expression, giving them his answer. Hay-Lin threw up her hands and sighed. "Told you he wasn't going for it."

"What?!" They directed their sights back down to the grown-man-sounding cat with a surprised expression. Especially January and Mariho. Napoleon smiled and exclaimed, "Are you _crazy,_ of **course** I'll go! Hey, Matt! Long time, no see!"

Matt just waved and greeted, "Hey, Napoleon."

"Hear about your girlfriend going loco?" He sprung off the counch and into Cornelia's surprised arms. She yelped in surprise and nearly dropped him. "When I heard Will attacked you guys over the Heart of Kandracar I was all, 'Whaaa?' I wasn't there, but I heard a nasty burn got her good. Your girlfriend is a bad girl. Oops, _ex_ girlfriend. You might be back in the game soon though, I see that one has her eye on you." He motioned with his head to January who blushed and stuck her tongue out at the talking feline.

Hay-Lin really hated being reminded about how all of it ended. And something was telling her Will would too. And _did._ She waved her hands in front of her face to disperse the air of this feeling. "Napoleon, focus. We need info on Will and you're the only random one we could think of that wouldn't cause suspicion."

Napoleon stretched in Cornelia's arms and strained out, "So you think she's back, huh? Sounds like a much deadlier and faster version of Nerissa. Just without the evil goons and she's not going to use her friends to take over Kandracar. Not to mention old."

Cornelia rolled her eyes and let Napoleon go to the ground below. Earning a screech in return. She placed her hands on her hips and asked with disdain, "So will you do it or not? This is serious Napoleon. If Will's back, then _**everyone**_ is in big trouble. You didn't see what she did at the battle. She turned into Thor and stopped a lightning bolt in mid air."

"Yeah, come on!" Napoleon responded. He walked under January's legs and turned that into a run for the door. "I'm hungry anyway!"

Hay-Lin and Taranee shared a look before they all followed after him. Taranee whispered, "Hopefully Will won't catch on."

" _If_ it's her," Hay-Lin added. "Remember, we don't know yet. Right now, let's just hope it isn't."

Taranee pulled the door open for Napoleon and the others before asking, "And if it is?"

Hay-Lin stopped at the door and sighed. "Then... We'll consult with the Oracle about it and see what he recommends. Because I honestly don't know."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Voices of laghter and a bit of banging reached Will's ears while she, Melissa, and her cousins walked down the stairs. Will wondered if Melissa had an aunt that was crazy. It would explain the cousin here that was pulling Melissa's arm, who in turn was pulling her own. _Please don't let anyone touch my hair,_ Will thought before Johnathan walked out the stairwell. The smell of food and the sound of music reached Will's mind by the time Melissa stepped down onto wooden flooring. "Hey, Melissa!" Someone loud greeted. Was everyone loud in this family?

Melissa let go of Will's hand and wrapped her arms around a woman that looked similar to Samantha. She was around Cornelia's height and had light brown eyes with short blonde hair. Maybe early forties wearing a t-shirt that read, "Kick Ass Forever". Will had a feeling she was the touchy excitable type. And forward.

While Will walked out the stairwell and into view Melissa replied happily, "Hi, Aunt Meralyn."

Aunt Meralyn hummed and tightened her hold. Then stepped back so she could get a good look look at her. "You grew up like a little weed! The last time I saw you in Jersey you were the smallest little thing, running around naked and trying to figure out how the water hose worked."

Melissa blushed and muttered, "Aunt Meralyn... Not in front of company." She could practically feel Will's teasing gaze on her.

"Speaking of company, who's your red friend?" Will lost her smirk and looked up to "Aunt Meralyn", whose own eyes scanned her up and down with a gleam in them that Will couldn't understand.

Melissa stepped back and wrapped her right arm around Will's waist, claiming her as her own. Will blushed a little bit and directed her gaze to the floor. "Aunt Meralyn, this is Will Vandom our neighbor. I invited her over."

Will reached her hand out to shake hers. "Hi, n-nice to meet you."

Aunt Meralyn met her hand with her own and nearly shook it off with the most brightest grin ever, and the strength of an alligator. "Ohhh, it's nice to meet you too! I'm Meralyn, you can call me Mera. You live nearby?"

Will nodded and answered, "Directly across the street."

"Awesome! it's nice to meet you! We didn't think Melissa would make friends so quickly, but here you are."

Samantha poked her head in with a strange look and corrected, "Friends?! Puh, they're _more_ than friends, mom."

Meralyn glanced at Samantha for a moment. Then gasped and asked, " _This_ is your girlfriend? _The_ Will Vandom your mother was telling me about? Awww, she's much prettier in person!"

Will blushed and replied sheepishly, "Thank you."

"Seriously, you could be a model. Now you girls and guy run along, this is where the adults sit. Go on, shoo!" She lightly nudged Will and Melissa towards the back door leading to the backyard where some of the guys were cooking.

Melissa stopped and suggested, "Er... H-How about we give you guys a tour of heatherfield? You up for it, Will? It's better than talking football."

Will looked to Samantha and Jonathan. Samantha looked eager while Johnathan still looked chill. There was no way they were brother and sister.

She looked back to Melissa and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Let's do it."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Irma was sure their group stuck out the most when they entered the residential area of Heatherfield. The _more_ residential area where Melissa and Will lived. It wasn't much of a walk but it was definitely a walk to remember. Well for Matt to remember anyway. Taranee could see him checking January out. That light blue skin tight outfit did pull some eyes. Apparently she had curves that could kill. Smirking, Taranee nudged Matt closer to January and whispered, "Go ahead."

Playing stupid he whispered, "What?"

"Go ahead and talk to her. You've been checking her out all this time. Including right now."

Matt blinked and shifted his sights from January's tight butt to the road in front of them. He shook his head and whispered, "No way, I couldn't do that. At least not right now. Maybe later."

"Alright. Better make your move though. Us girls get impatient." Taranee winked and left it at that. Then ran into the back of Cornelia. "Hey, what—" Cornelia grabbed her hand and tugged her over to the right to duck into an alley between two townhouses where the others were. January did the same to Matt, blushing when her soft hand made contact with his. He must work out a lot. Because they were hard.

Once they were out of sight, Napoleon asked, "What's going on?"

Hay-Lin peeked around the corner and eyed Melissa, Will, and two others stepping out of Melissa's house. She could tell it were them because of the red hair of Will. "They're leaving and heading this way."

Irma and Taranee peeked through with her. Sure enough, there they were. Will and Melissa were holding hands and walking up he sidewalk while the smaller girl was jumping up and down. Then wrapped Melissa in a hug around the neck from behind. Irma snickered and whispered, "She reminds me of Hay-Lin before she got all serious. Hey Matt? There's your proof."

Matt leaned down and looked underneath the others with January and eyed Melissa with Will. Blinking, he whispered, "Are you guys sure that's Will?"

Taranee nodded and answered, "She covered the burn with her hair. Then I guess she liked it that way. So she keeps it long. It sure grew fast."

January hummed and eyed Will when they started walking their way. "Hmmm... So that is the former Guardian."

Mariho added, "I see the shape of our attacker in hers. You may be right in assuming she is The Lost One."

Irma directed her eyes back to Mariho and whispered, "You guys talk weird. But... The Lost One has a ring to it. Now's your time to shine Napoleon."

She placed Napoleon on the ground and lightly pushed him out into view towards the sidewalk. "Wait, wait, already? Where's the fish?"

"Later. Spy on Will first."

Napoleon groaned with disdain. He was hungry! But went ahead and started trekking towards the group of four. Followed by the sights of the Guardians and company.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Sanantha's talkative, Will realized. After they walked out and closed the door, Melissa turned to Samantha and scolded, "Why'd you tell her we were dating?"

Samantha smirked and shrugged. "You just came out and told her that 'you were friends'. Yeah, right. Just say that you're dating."

"I was, but it was going to be when everyone was together. You know how Aunt Meralyn gets when she hears a bit of news. Ugh, just come on." Melissa grabbed Will's hand and pulled her along down the street.

Samatha quickly walked after followed by Jonathan, who was more chill about it by texting on his phone and such. "Oh please, you know mom's not going to tell anyone. So what's it like here?"

Playing amnesia, Will shrugged and answered, "Well... For the last couple weeks it's been good."

Samantha leaned into her peripheral vision and asked, "Is it supposed to be bad?"

"Er... Not sure?"

"You lived here for four years, right?"

Melissa rolled her eyes and clarified, "Will has amnesia. She had a bad accident and lost four years of her memories in the past. She only knows she's lived here for four years but nothing during the time."

Samantha rolled her eyes and nudged Melissa. "You make terrible jokes."

"That's why it wasn't a joke. Will has amnesia."

Samantha looked up to Will for any indication of playing. But there was none. She asked, "Melissa's not joking, is she?"

Will sighed loudly and shook her head. "Nope, it's... It's been a tough time—EEE, A CAT!!"

Will screeched and jumped in the air when Napoleon pawed at her ankle. Hay-Lin rolled her eyes and Cornelia facepalmed while Irma and Taranee struggled to hold their laughter in. Will nearly jumped three feet just from having her feet touched.

Melissa blinked at Will hiding behind her and peeking over her shoulder. Then directed her sights to the innocent cat below. Gasping she fawned, "Awww, she's so pretty!"

 _Oh no she didn't,_ Napoleon mentally scolded. Melissa reached down and picked Napoleon up with two tight hands. He meowed nad stuggled a bit before relaxing. This Melissa chick has great fingers. No more pawing, Will peeked over and locked eyes with Napoleon chilling in her girlfriend's arms. Pointing, she asked, "How can you _touch_ him?"

"It's a she."

"It is clearly a he. See?" If Napoleon could blush they would see a bunch of red fur on those cheeks instead of black fur. Will pointed her finger directly at the one spot that distinguished him from these three girls.

Samantha jumped in and asked, "Oh, can I see?" Napoleon dilated his eyes at her and asked to himself, _What is wrong with you? Do you **really** want to see my penis?!_

Melissa gasped and apologized, "Oh I'm sorry Mr. Black Cat. I never knew you were such a strong manly cat. Why didn't you say something?"

Will sighed and deadpanned, "Yeah, why _didn't_ the Cat talk?"

"Oh hush. Let's leave the cat alone to whatever he was doing before." Melissa set Napoleon back down on the ground and grabbed Will's hand to walk away again. Before Napoleon walked to Will and pawed at her ankle again.

Will screeched again and pretty much ran away with Melissa. "Nope, not again, nope!"

Samantha ran up and asked, "Are you scared of Cats?"

"I don't like ssomething soft and furry touching my ankle."

"Awww, no ankle cuffs?"

Will blushed and lightly smacked Melissa's hand for that under-the-carpet comment. "Not now," she whispered.

"Later then, gotcha."

After a few seconds of running behind each other, Will finally slowed down to the entrance of the big city, unknowingly followed by the black cat and the Guardians who were watching from afar. January and Matt had branched off thanks to her persistence and decided to get an opposite look from up ahead. she looked pretty innocent.

Matt asked, "Are you guys sure that it could be Will?"

January shook her head and answered, "I'm not sure." Three girls past the alley they were hiding in, licking ice cream and heading towards the group.

Will gestured around at everything and said, "Well this is Heatherfield. It's really quiet here."

Samantha looked at everything and said, "It looks just like everything else in the world." Earning a pop to the wrist by Melissa.

She playfully scolded, "Well I like it. It's decent. Right, Will?"

Will didn't answer. Instead focused on those three girls approaching. They looked really familiar. But why? Meliisa walked over and looked at Will. Then followed her gaze groaning at the sight. "Oh. Them."

Without moving, Will asked, "You know them?"

Melissa sighed and stated, "They recently moved here and immediately became the bullies of Sheffield. The others said they're from your home town. Fadden Hills."

Fadden Hills? _That's_ where she knew them from! The Vanhoovens. They're not blood related, but their families had married in. All three were really mean to her in the past back at Fadden. Looks like they were mean here too.

Melissa asked, "Do you know them?"

"They ring a very small bell in my head. Have they messed with you?"

Melissa shook her head and answered, "No. But they have messed with others."

"Hey! I know you!" Will turned back to the area ahead to see the three girls in front of them. The one speaking to her was the tallest. Cecelia. No doubt the leader of their little game. She had short blonde hair, light blue eyes, and going nealy six feet. She had a finger pointing to Will. "What's your... Will Vandom!"

Cornelia and the others in the alley nearby got down and watched the scene. Taranee huffed and stated, "Well... Looks like they _do_ know Will."

Cecelia placed her hands on her hips and looked her over. "So this is where the crybaby has been hiding. You know when you disappeared from Fadden everyone was like why didn't she leave sooner. I guess the school made you _and_ your family move." The twins on the side snickered and got back to their ice cream. "And I see you've met the carpet muncher."

Samantha walked past Will and said, "I don't appreciate you talking about my cousin like that."

"I didn't ask for your opinion pipsqueak. Now run along ang—oof!" Cecelia's face shot to the side after being slugged. Those hiding grimaced and focused on Samantha. But she didn't even move. Will lightly pulled Melissa behind her while Cecelia turned around and walked to Will with the twins. "We're going to fuck you up. Right in front of your girlfriend."

Will made a come hither motion before Cecelia swung first. Turns out, Will was very fast. She ducked under her swing and bashed her elbow into Stacy's face, one of the twins. Then ducked under her before Cecelia could hit her. Instead hitting stacy instead to the side. Slightly distracted, Will took this to her advantage. With a move that surprised everyone.

Lifting her leg, she swiveled around really quick and roundhoused the other one, Mary in the left cheek. Then did it a second time to Cecelia, knocking her back. Mary quickly got her wits back before she was knocked down to the ground in basic punches by Will. Two down and groaning. That just left Cecelia.

She was tall and pretty much towered over Will. But that didn't stop her. Hoping this would get her, Cecelia tackled Will to the ground and pinned down her elbows with her knees. Melissa gasped and was about to run over before Will, surprising them once again, pushed Cecelia's knee off her right arm and flipped her off. she quickly stood up and stomped her foot on Cecelia's chest, pinning her down. "Get off, you fucking—"

Will leaned down and yelled, "SHUT UP!!!"

Taranee's heart pretty much stopped beating. Her yell even scared Melissa. Will grabbed Cecelia by the neckand hoisted her up. Then hoisted her even higher off her feet. Cecelia clawed at her arm and focused on Will's angry eye. She snarled, "This is my only warning..." Will slammed Cecelia down to the ground on her back, knocking the air out of her. "If I ever hear about you talking about my girlfriend, her family, or her friends ever again, I'll will come back. I will find you. Then you'll become my carpet muncher. Got it?"

Cecelia groaned before Will slapped her face to the side. "Answer!!"

"Yes! Yes!"

Will backed off and made way back to her girlfriend untouched, ignoring Johnathan's phone. He still didn't have emotion though. "Now get your sisters and leave. Or I'll be happy to throw you away."

Cecelia stood up and reluctantly got the twins back up. Then sort of pulled them along. Matt and January moved to the side to allow them through and get a closer look. Cecelia had a black eye and a trickle of blood in the corner of her mouth, and both the twins had bloody noses and bruises on their faces.

Once they were gone, Will turned to Melissa and apologized. "I:m sorry you had to—" Melissa silenced her by pressing her lips against hers and pressing their bodies together. Will instinctively pulled her close and deepened it.

Irma whistled silently and whispered, "Go Will, go." But she was the only one doing it. The others were just staring.

Hay-Lin shook her head and corrected, "No. No 'Go Will.' That move she just did? That was what The Lost One did to Kadma. Just with punches. Kadma and this girl are pretty much the same size. And look at her neck. That gem. Was that what you saw?"

Cornelia focused on Will's neck. Or underneath it. There was a red block under her neck poking out of her dress. Cornelia's mouth ran dry. Oh no. "...Yes," she whispered. She swalloweswallowed hard and added, "Yeah, that was it."

"...it's Will. She's back."


	16. We're Sorry, Melissa

**We're Sorry, Melissa**

It's Will. Holy crap, it's Will. Will is the enemy once again. Hay-Lin couldn't sleep that night. Nor could anyone else. Even far away, Matt couldn't believe it. After they had what they needed, they all shuffled back to the Silver Dragon to come up with a plan. Well "Attempt" was more like it. The Guardians and Elyon were reluctant to fight Will for Melissa's sake, Mariho and January couldn't fight her alone, and Matt wouldn't. At all. All they could do was go to the Oracle and state their findings, who suggested they come up with a plan.

Which is keeping Hay-Lin up right now. They would indubitably see The Lost One soon. Will apparently wants to get rid of Kandrakar. And everything connected. So whatever is in access to the veil, Will wants to get rid of. She wants to kill everyone. It was suicide.

Hay-Lin stopped pacing when a white noise filled her mind again, forcing her to grimace. The others felt it too. Melissa, Irma, Cornalia, and Taranee all popped their eyes open. Eyes trained on whatever was in front of them in the darkness. Melissa sat up and flipped off the covers then pinged, _"You girls felt that?"_

Taranee responded, _"Yeah. She's back. I really hate that we can't track her_ _**exact** location."_Hay-Lin opened a portal and walked into Melissa's room. _"She's a tricky one."_ Then created another portal for Taranee, Irma, and Cornelia. Once they were all together, she created a portal for Kandrakar and determinedly led them through.

Out of instinct, Melissa raised her hand to get the blaring light out of her sight. "Is it always day here?"

Taranee blinked away the spots and answered, "Apparently. Let's go. Wherever she is Kandrakar should know by now." Taranee started to walk forward before a voice stopped them.

"Meridian." Hay-Lin swiveled her body towards the right where Luba was sitting motionless on the staircase. They hadn't even noticed her sitting nearby when they walked through. Eyeing the empty blue space of the surrounding air for Kandrakar with no emotion. Something must've been on her mind. "She's on Meridian. We located her the second she stepped out of the portal."

Luba looked up to the Guardians and added quietly, "She may know where the remnants are."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Under the castle. Of course. What better place to hide something than underneath the most guarded place on the planet? From her room, Will stepped out of the portal and back onto the desolated land she herself, a former Guardian destroyed. Back to the scene of the crime. The area around her was littered with tents and other living arrangements. The ground lit by glowing white sticks on the side definitely supplied by Queen Elyon.

The portal behind Will closed, once again darkening the ground once more. But Will's red eyes and Remnant of Quintessence didn't. They were filled with no emotion. No sign of remorse. But she _did_ admit these people didn't need to share the guilt of their Queen. Of the Guardians. There had to be another way.

Will shook her head and silently cursed herself. She was thinking like a Guardian again. She wasn't. Not anymore. Will's eyes once again narrowed and filled with anger. She had a world to take down. Lifting her wings, she soared into the air and made her way for the castle at the same time a portal opened where she was before. The Guardians quickly stepped out and looked around their environment for her. But she was out of sight when they did.

Cornelia whispered, "Everything looks untouched."

Hay-Lin shook her head and whispered, "It always does. Where could she be?"

Taranee motioned towards the one standing structure and answered, "Maybe the only standing building here?"

Hay-Lin nodded and took flight. "Let's go." She zipped ahead of the others and flew high in the dark silent sky, eyes on the shadowed and dimly-lit castle, and mind on the mission. After a few minutes, they landed on the walkway that led up to the front doors. The supposedly guarded entrance.

Once they landed, Taranee sighed and shook her head at the scene. "Yeah... She's here."

All on the ground were knocked out guards and steel weapons. Some were groaning in pain, frozen in ice, trapped in a strange stone structure, and more. Either way, they couldn't do anything. Hay-Lin huffed and stated, "I bet she didn't even break a sweat. Melissa, go secure Elyon while we find her. Do you know where her room is?"

Melissa took to the air and answered, "Yeah. Be careful, alright?" After a nod, they all flew inside for different directions and destinations. Melissa to the left and the rest to the right.

While the Guardians scouted the castle's quiet halls, Starfire was now approaching the one place she never would expect the Remnant to be. The dungeons. Will's footsteps stopped at the entrance leading down there and listened to the reverberating conversations of the Guards. Laughter. Fun.

Sighing, she whispered, "A few more feet." Then began the treacherous journey down the steps.

One of the Guards below stopped talking and listened to the shallow footsteps of whoever was above. He smirked and asked, "Hey David! Did you get the water?"

"I am afraid..." Will walked out of the stairs with a smile. "That he is sleeping." Before the Guards could react, Will calmly flicked her hand and blew a mix of water and air straight into their chests, sending them flying back. Crying out in alarm, they hit the wall and were frozen against solid brick from neck to toe. The fight lasted less than two seconds.

Will calmly lowered her hand while they grimaced, struggled and yelled out. She casually walked past, following the voices in her head. One of the guards growled, "You'll never free the prisoners, sorceress!"

Will chuckled in her mind. Sorceress. That's a new one. She followed the voice and stopped to glance up to the ceiling. Urgent movement. Guardians. They must've heard the shouting. She needed to hurry. Luckily, she reached her location. Will swiveled her body and faced a seemingly brick wall. Void of any design. With watching and confused eyes trained on her, Will reached out and placed her hand on a seemingly random brick. Then pulled it back, along with the brick.

Once it was in her hand, Will raised it and let it drop to shatter on the ground. Revealing the true treasure hidden inside. Grinning, Will calmly picked up the golden laced bracelet fitted with a single red opal. The bracelet itself was really fancy. And built pretty much out of what the others were. But the Opal was the true prize. The Remnant of Fire. With this, her true control over fire will be unleashed.

So Starfire went ahead and used her left hand to stretch it over her right wrist. Then taking a deep breath, let it slap into place. Starfire grinned as she felt her insides boost. And The Remnant glow a bright red. Her sudden chuckling turned into happy laughter. Remnant of Fire? Check. Three more to go.

"Guardians! In here!" Breaking her expression, Will lowered her hand and looked back towards the stairs that a single guard ran into. He prepared his arrow and bow. Then let the band go, sending the bolt into a wall of Sand that Will raised. Controlling the air, he was pulled forward into the wall to hit his head, immediately knocked unconscious. Then the wall fell.

Groaning, Starfire readied herself before Hay-Lin flew in with the others and got into battle positions. They landed and blocked the entrance with narrowed eyes trained on Starfire, who had hers returned. Taranee snarled, "You're a tricky one."

Starfire smirked and suggested, "It's best you just let things happen."

"Sorry, not our style." Taranee pointed two fingers at Will and fired two large fireballs, landing a direct hit that blew up. The others blinked and eyed the inferno carefully. Something wasn't right. She was too strong to just go down that way. Taranee hummed unsure and whispered, "That was too easy."

Spotting movement, Cornelia gasped then pushed the girls to the side before the ball of flames could hit them. It was moving strangely. Hay-Lin sat back up and watched in horror as the fire formed and soon sizzled on The Lost One's skin. Unharmed.

Will calmly raised her right hand and summoned a snake made of flames. crawl It crawled from her shirt's sleeve and slowly wrapped around her right forearm, licking the air with a forked tongue. Will smirked and grinned at the Guardians. "One thing about fire..." The Snake made a hissing sound when it dangled down from Starfire's arm and bared fire-y fangs to the Guardians. Will smiled and glanced back up to the Guardians. "It burns. And. It. Hurts. I should know. But thanks to what I need..." Will held her arm out presenting the Remnant of Fire. "I will _never_ be harmed again."

The snake hissed and lunged off Starfire's arm across the room straight to Taranee. Acting fast, Irma sprayed it with a stream of water, bathing the room in steam. Since Melissa wasn't around, they had to wait for the steam to clear. And when it did, she was gone.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Starfire casually stepped out of the portal into the semi-darkness of her bedroom. She knew Irma would steam the snake. She was fast that way. Once it was closed, she immediately flashed back to Will Vandom with long enough hair staring at the bedroom door. She sighed and smoothed her red sundress. Then locked her eye on the Remnant of Fire. Just like her necklace, it held a glowing body, outlining her shape. Part One complete. Three more left.

Before Will could go to bed she created a cool ball of fire and lifted it above the door. According to Meralyn at the cook out, she could be a model. Will could actually see it. She smiled at the girl in the mirror and stroked her long hair. Even made an oh-so serious pose in the dress just to get it going. Just like the models on magazines. She had to admit she looked good. Not even a blemish, except the burn hidden behind her face. Next she brushed her hair back and looked at herself _with_ the burn.

...it actually _accentuated_ the look. Surprisingly. Dangerous. Fierce. Will could work with that. If she changed her mind with this revenge, she just might go into modelling. She had the looks. So why not? Will figured she'd sleep on it.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Hay-Lin was ashamed. Yan-Lin could tell when she walked into her room the next sunny morning. The floor was bathed in the Orange of the morning sun, reaching Hay-Lin's bare feet on the side of the bed. Hay-Lin herself was sitting on the edge, slightly bent over with an unreadable expression to the ground. She whispered, "They exist, Grandma." Then glanced up to Yan-Lin. "She has the first one."

Yan-Lin sighed and walked closer. "It is not your fault, Hay-Lin. She is just very powerful."

Hay-Lin shook her head and added, "It's Will, Grandma. I... I don't know what to do. If we have to go a second time... I don't want Melissa finding out that her girlfriend is the one trying to destroy everything."

Yan-Lin sat down next to Hay-Lin and took her hand. "Sometimes, being the leader means we must make tough decisions."

"No matter how deadly?"

"Especially then. We will never move forward if we do not. It may hurt Melissa, but we told her the hard truth."

Hay-Lin sighed and looked towards the thin curtains for the night sky behind them. Yan-Lin was right. It was better to not keep her in the dark. But... "We need more proof. We can't just say it's Will based off of spying and superstitions."

"...Maybe... You don't have to say _that,_ exactly." Hay-Lin's expression of confusion couldn't be more plain. Yan-Lin stood up and clarified, "Just tell her the story of what happened and how you think it may be her. Start from the beginning."

Hay-Lin shook her head and stated, "She wouldn't believe it. She'd want proof."

Yan-Lin nodded and stated, "We have Will's recorded memories of that night. We kept them for referencing purposes. Show her that night. And leave the rest to her."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Once the sun hit Will's exposed face, her eyes popped open and trained on the ceiling. She decided to just fall on the bed last night and clonk out instead of getting underneath the covers. Last night was a success. Just to make sure it wasn't a dream, Will lifted her right arm into view. Yep. The Remnant of Fire was on her right wrist. She did it. Three more left to go. But they could wait at least until the day after tomorrow. Today was a relaxing day.

Will jumped out of the bed made of stuffed frogs and onto the cool wood floor, smiling proudly to stretch. She had a good mind to go out and... Do whatever. Shrugging, she decided to make plans later and just do whatever now.

Grabbing her phone, Will pulled the door open and stepped out into the hall, nearly bumping into Susan. "Oh!" Susan stepped back and chuckled. "Someone's eager. Good morning, dear."

"Morning, mom, no time to lose!" She rushed past Susan and into the bathroom, leaving her mother with a smile. At least she was happy and had a smile. Today must be one of those rare days when Will wakes up and is really excited for some reason. Susan sighed and turned to make her way down to the kitchen. Dean had to go to the school today for a meeting, and Susan had work, meaning she had to drop the baby off at daycare. Will didn't really have the patience for a baby yet. Keyword: Yet. At the rate she and Melissa were going, they would be visiting a sperm bank in the future. Susan shivered a little. How does that work? Great, now she was curious.

After hopping out the shower, Will grabbed her towel and wrapped herself up. Then stopped in front of the mirror to look at herself. Even with wet hair her burn was hidden. She's been hiding a large part of her life for a few weeks now. Her memories. It must be killing her mother with wishes for them to return. Will sighed and pushed her hair aside to look at her face. It didn't seem so alien anymore. She's started to grow accustomed to the fact that she had a bad accident in life and that it would impact her in ways she never would imagine. But that wasn't an excuse to destroy a town. And choke a Queen. Well... That last bit was a little different.

Will pushed her hair back into place and made moves to get her day started. Hygenics, underclothes, clothes, hairbrush, breakfast, and a reluctant kiss from her mother in front of the baby in the kitchen on the way out the door. Susan planted it right on Will's cheek before she could escape with eager motions. "Be back by five, okay?" She asked.

Will nodded and opened the door into the fresh air of Heatherfield. There was a lot of life going on in the sky. A very lot. Made her want to fly and leave everything behind. But Will decided to just take a deep breath and walk off the steps towards town. With her purse holding the stolen book on the Remnants of Elements. Even though today was a really relaxing day, she didn't want this lying around in her room. She was definitely going to keep this on her at all times.

While Will was heading into town, Hay-Lin was making everyone come to her place. Or rather the basement. Since the restaurant had some extra hands, Hay-Lin didn't have to work as hard as needed. At least not today. Purposely, she called Melissa thirty minutes after calling the others over so they could know exactly why. Taranee was the first to state her surprise. Directly across from the silent side of Hay-Lin she whispered, "You want us... To tell Melissa about Will?"

Hay-Lin glanced up to think. Then answered, "Well... I spoke with Grandma last night about it. She said that we didn't need to tell Melissa right out, but to tell her that Will is the Fallen Guardian. The same Guardian we don't talk about."

Cornelia shook her head and crossed her arms from Hay-Lin's immediate right. "She's not going to believe it."

"I know. So Grandma brought... Backup." Hay-Lin reached in her pocket next to her back pack she brought down here with her and pulled out a small glass box holding an orange glowing orb that could fit in the palm of her hand. The Guardians looked at it then back up to Hay-Lin with questions in their eyes. Hay-Lin pointed at it and said, "This... Is Will's memories of that day. Turns out Himerish didn't want to get rid of everything, so he kept the most important part to Kandrakar. The day it happened. Like a real life feed of Nine-Eleven. Except... It's in Will's point of view. Melissa holds it in her hands and she will relive everything that happened that day in Will's mind. Ending at the point when they erased her memories."

Cornelia sighed and picked up the glass box to get a closer look. "You know this is a bad idea."

Irma nodded and added from across, "Yeah, if we lose Melissa. But you guys have to remember. If it is in fact Will... Then we have a huge issue. We need the help of everyone. Not just the Guardians, but the armies of the military. Will is extremely powerful. If Will could take us, Elyon, and Himerish _himself_ down, there's no telling what could happen next. She already has one of the Remnants. We can't let her get the second one. We need to prepare Melissa for what we may be up against."

Taranee clarified, "Yeah, her loving Girlfriend." The door to the top of the stairs opened up, freezing their hearts and nearly giving Taranee a heart attack.

Melissa walked in and closed the door back. Then jogged down the stairs wearing a gray sweatsuit that went great with her hair. Smiling, she greeted, "Hey, what's up?"

"Uhhh... Hi, take a seat." Hay-Lin motioned towards the extra chair setup at the very end so Melissa could see all of them.

Once Melissa was comfortable, she asked, "So anything? We get a reading on who the girl is? I'm really itching for some action."

 _She bites,_ Irma pinged to Hay-Lin who responded, "Well... We have a good idea. But... you're not going to like it. We called you over here because..." Hay-Lin and the others shared a look, putting Melissa on guard. Whatever they needed to tell her must be big. Hay-Lin looked back to Melissa and clarified, "We decided to tell you about what happened before you arrived on the scene. The thing we never talk about."

Melissa shook her head and immediately replied, "You girls don't have to do that. I can see it makes you really uncomfortable so—"

Taranee interrupted, "No, Melissa. You need to hear this. Because in a way... It involves you." _It's true._

Melissa gulped but went ahead and nodded. Hay-Lin took a deep breath and decided to tell the tale. "When we became Guardians, it happened sort of the same way you did. A new girl showed up to school who offered us cookies. We were young at the time. I was thirteen, and Cornelia was fifteen, the oldest. But the girl we met had just moved to Heatherfield and I guess had a hard time making friends."

Irma chipped in and said, "But she had cookies, so we immediately became the best of friends. Getting Chocolate Chip at Sheffield is really rare."

The table laughed a little before it got serious again and Hay-Lin continued. "On that same day, I brought all of us and the new girl here to relax and get to know each other. Then Grandma Lin came in and started talking to us about the Guardians. Earlier during those times, we all had noticed a few things about ourselves we never knew. Before I was in charge of Quintessence, I was in charge of Air. I had your power. And just like you, I trashed my room when I sneezed. It was hard to put back together.

"Anyway, Grandma Lin told us our powers and that we had to train. The Guardian before you was actually the leader and she was in charge of Quintessence." Melissa noticed she hadn't said this Guardian's name yet. Something was up. "We trained together, and fought together. We fought Lord Phobos, Cedric, Miranda, Nerissa, a lot of enemies. Then... a Hiatus of a year. We kept our powers, but mostly just for fun. Then one day... Everything changed.

"On the Guardian's sixteenth birthday, our powers switched. There was no explanation, but we tried to adjust until lunch where we could go and see the Oracle and talk to him about it. But during the change and the meeting, I guess she was getting a little desperate. She was acting out, yelling a little. We didn't think much of it at the time, because we assumed that it was just a glitch or something. But the Aurameres never glitch. When we met with the Oracle, he told us of the Prophecy. The same one you know about. And that the role of being leader had changed. Meaning our powers had switched. The aurameres were preparing us for the battle ahead. The Oracle asked us if we were okay with it, and we all were. Except the leader. _Previous_ leader. The Oracle forced her to hand over the Heart of Kandrakar to me. She had walked out and left the chamber immediately after."

Melissa shook her head and assumed, "She didn't like it."

"Understatement. She was upset, but didn't let it show. After we got back, she had left us to go and do whatever she needed to do. At that time, I knew we had to sit her down and talk to her about it. Just to get her to understand that we were going to get a new enemy soon and the aurameres knew what they were doing. The next day, she came to school looking terrible. Like she just left a rave. She left the lunch table and went somewhere else that we later learned was the library. After that, we never saw her again for more than a few seconds."

Taranee slipped in and said, "I suggested that we talk to her about it. Just to get her feelings out. We could easily tell she was angry about it. But... She always either ignored it, or something else. One day we uhh... Spoke to her dad about it and he said that she hasn't been acting herself at home. And that she had to stay there for maybe three days to cool down. She was getting angry. All of that anger was building up. We really wanted to go and see her, but we couldn't. Then... It happened. She blew up."

Melissa asked, "What do you mean? She blew up?"

Irma sighed and clarified sadly, "She attacked us. For the Heart of Kandrakar. Turns out, according to the Oracle, she suffers from Bipolar Depression after a falling out between her parents in her hometown. And the only way to keep her calm was either through medicine or when she's doing something to keep her distracted and busy. Ironically, to keep her calm and non-violent was by being a Guardian and beating butts. But also, all of it's activated at once when something changes and she can't control it. And that happened to be—"

"The power switch," Melissa assumed.

Hay-Lin nodded and answered, "Yeah. It was wrecking her. And we could do nothing about it. The day she attacked us was after school. Elyon had actually came to warn us when we were leaving and you actually met her for the first time. Remember?"

Melissa blinked. Then gasped. "She... In the snow... I almost ran into her."

"Yeah. She was on her way to tell us that she had escaped the house and was actively looking for us. You had left and went home when she told us this. After you left, we took a different route to the silver dragon. But she must've been tracking us. She was watching us from behind. Next thing you know she's in front of us, asking for the heart. All of us said no, but she was persistent."

"I was the most scared." They all looked towards the stairwell where Elyon was walking down. She made her way over to the table and placed her hand on Melissa's left shoulder. "Yan-Lin was telling me what you guys were doing. So... Here I am."

Hay-Lin smiled and greeted, "Thanks, Elyon. When we all denied her, she attacked us. I don't know how, but she had mastered control over the air. She swung a very fast breeze at us that blew the windows out of cars and from what we learned had actually knocked the power out on that block. We couldn't fight her there. So we made a run for a different area. But she was quick. We only reached another block before we tried to stop her. But she... She was able to manipulate us without touching us."

Elyon clarified, "Imagine a horror movie when something invisible grabs your leg and throws you around. And you have no idea what it is. That's what it was like. We couldn't get close enough to take her down."

"Then... She blew our minds once again. Cornelia and I had a plan. Cornelia would stand by to grab her when I shot her with lightning. It was a desperate measure, but we couldn't get close enough to grab her. But... Perhaps you remember this? The lightning in Heatherfield. The one that froze for a good eight seconds then changed that no one can explain."

"...that was you," Melissa whispered. Everything was starting to make sense. The sudden rush, the crazy lightning. "You fired that bolt."

"Yeah. I did. And the target... Stopped it in middair. She froze and held it."

Cornelia clarified, "She turned into Thor and stopped it."

"And shot it right back at us."

Hay-Lin sighed and stated, "I teleported everyone to Sheffield Beach, and she followed us. After an intense fight, she had pinned down Taranee and somehow created a shank out of sand. She was about to stab her. Fatally. So I did the first thing that came to mind. I created a ball of lightning... And threw it. It hit her and knocked her off, but... There was a lot of damage. We ended up taking her down and taking her to the Oracle, who terminated her from the Guardians and erased everything about it from her mind."

Melissa immediately asked, "So what happened to her? She is still alive right?"

Hay-Lin nodded and answered, "She is and still lives in Heatherfield. But... The reason we're telling you this... is because you know who she is. And we believe she may have somehow gotten her memories back and is getting back at all of Kandrakar in the form of The Lost One."

Melissa glanced between them, all eyes on her right back. "I do?"

"Yeah." Hay-Lin gripped the glass box and slid it her way. It stopped at Melissa's fingers bathing her front in an orange glow. Melissa eyed it while she explained. "That orb contains all of her memories of that day. But before you touch it—" Melissa pulled her hand back from the glass box. "It's time you learned who that Guardian was." Hay-Lin reached down and grabbed her bag to pull out documents. Or rather small photographs banded together by a rubber band like playing cards. Taking a deep breath, she placed them on the table faced down and slid them to a stop in front of Melissa next to the cube. She eyed them for a moment then glanced back up to all of them.

Elyon was the first to say, "We're really sorry you had to find out this way."

Melissa glanced down to the cards and slowly picked them up to flip over. The first photo she noticed was of five girls all squished together in a possible kiosk at the mall. She recognized all of them. Even... Wait... Melissa pulled it up closer to her face at the girl with all the short red hair. She... no. Melissa shook her head and took off the band to put the photo to the side face down, revealing another one. This one was of a regular day at Sheffield Beach. Once again of the girl she more than likely fell in love with burying Cornelia under sand. She shook her head and muttered, "No."

Hay-Lin bit her lip and looked away while she went through more and eventually slapped the final one on the table and yelled, "These are lies! They have to be, they have to!!"

Hay-Lin didn't respond. Instead, she motioned with her head towards the glass box. "Why don't you see it from her point of view?"

Melissa shook her head and whispered, "You're joking. It... It can't be Will. She would never do that."

Taranee sighed and stated, "That's the Will that _you_ met. You met her after everything happened. She was different before. The only way to find out how different is to go back and experience it."

Melissa focused back on the orb of Orange beneath her face. Will would never do that. She knew her girlfriend. "Her memories were erased." Melissa looked up to the voice of Elyon who admitted, "I was there when they did it. The burn on Will's face was from the lightning Hay-Lin sent. And the amnesia from the misted memories. Since they couldn't actually rip the memories out of Will's mind, they simply muddled them to the point that they were unreadable. Then placed her strategically in a warm spot near a firetruck at a burning warehouse so Kandrakar would still be a secret. And Will forgotten."

That did it. Melissa flipped open the box and slapped her hand on the orange, forcing her vision white. Flying back in time in a body that wasn't her turn.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Will was over the moon. But that might've been because everyone was giving her looks. And wonderful compliments. Was it because she was something no one had ever seen? A mystery they'll never solve? Will pranced around downtown in a pretty blue dress that stopped at her calves. It hugged her figure really well and added curves to her already curvy body that made Melissa gush. Oh why did she have to think that.

Will turned a corner and reached into her purse to pull out the book while crossing the street safely. She needed more information. But perhaps a Sundae would do her good. Will stopped in front of a small restaurant and eyed the ice cream poster in the window. yummy. Just what she needs. Will opened the door and walked in. This was an interesting place to check out. It looked like an old burger joint from the seventies.

Will tucked her book underneath her arm and walked up to the counter that a teen dude was watching from. He was definitely checking her out. Smiling, he greeted, "Hi, what can I get you?"

Will pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. "That Sundae, please?"

"Sure. One-fifteen." Will placed two dollars on the counter for him to process. Then took the receipt in return. "We'll have it ready for you in a second."

After a nod, he patted the counter and made his way to the back, leaving Will at the front. She hopped onto one of the red and reflective steel stools and placed her book in front of her to read. Along with a small notepad. According to the text, the Remnant of Water was on a world called Hootakah. Hootakah. A world exactly like Earth that inhabits only women. Must be one heck of a haven.

A sundae was placed next to her, shifting her attention away from the book and the impending future to the present. She smiled and said, "Thank you." Then back to the book. It's believed to be in a body of water somewhere. A sacred body of water. Well Will didn't want to touch anything sacred.

But Starfire definitely wanted to. Better appease the angry and powerful teenager inside. Will shut the book and placed it back in her purse. Then started writing plans while enjoying her dessert. If this Hootakah was anything like Earth, then that meant that place had security. Maybe guns. Handcuffs. Oh please. Will lifted her right wrist and eyed the Remnant of Fire. She'll go the day after tomorrow to grab it. She had better expect the Guardians. They somehow knew she was on Meridian. How?

Probably the portals. It was really easy to track a portal. Either way, she needed to act fast. And she knew how. With a plan down, Will closed the notepad and prepared to leave. She had to train.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

The Silver Dragon's basement was silent, all calmly watching Melissa at her end of the table. Not necessarily watching her exactly, more like a glance. She was sitting straight up with her eyes closed, focused on the wall across. Cornelia was painting her nails and Hay-Lin was staring at the photos. They've been waiting an hour and some now.

Taranee glanced at Melissa and watched sadly when a tear rolled down her right cheek. "It's ending guys."

They all looked towards Melissa when her eyes slowly cracked open and focused on the wall. Then her face scrunched up before she started crying into her hands. Hay-Lin sighed and closed her eyes. At least they told her the truth. Cornelia stood up and made her way over to at least rub her back. She had no idea what to do in these situations. After a few minutes, Melissa abruptly stood up and made her way to the stairs.

Irma immediately stood and asked, "Hey, wait, where you goin'?"

Melissa stopped and sighed. "I need to know... If Will has her memories back. And if she was lying to me." Then started up the stairs and soon out the door of the Silver Dragon.

Silence reigned as the ruler for a good few seconds before Irma asked, "Did... Did we just cause them to break up?"

Hay-Lin answered, "And make Will even more angry? Possibly."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

The last thing Will expected to see was Melissa sitting on the steps of her home looking around. Her parents weren't home and neither were Will's. Leaving them both to their own responsibilities.

Melissa spotted the hint of red in the corner of her right eye. Will. She stood up at the same time Will pecked her cheek. Smiling, Will greeted, "Hey. What are you doing here alone?"

Will walked up the steps to her home and pulled out her house key while Melissa got her bearings. Taking a breath she answered, "I needed to speak with you."

Will looked over her shoulder and pushed the door open. Concerned, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Melissa honestly shook her head. "No. I'll tell you inside."

Will led the way onto the dark floors of her home, followed by Melissa. Then shut and locked the door. Melissa gulped and eyed the curtain of hair over her eye before Will faced her. "Okay. What's wrong?"

Melissa choked a little and explained, "Well I was speaking with my friends today. The ones you uh... Aren't close with."

"Okay. I'm listening." Will turned and made her way to the kitchen while Melissa walked into the living room tentatively.

"They told me about a few things you guys did together in the past."

"Yeah." Will opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water. Then started the trek for the living room.

"Then..." Melissa took deep breath and decided not to beat around the bush. "They told me about the accident. And what happened."

Will placed the bottle back on the table and slowly stood up to stare at Melissa from across standing and staring back. "Wh... What are you talking about?"

Melissa replied, "Will... I know what happened to you. The fight between you and the other Guardians."

Guardians. Guardians, Guardians, Guardians. Will denied it and answered, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Will—"

"I think you need some water, here!" Will tossed the water bottle to Melissa who fumbled with it.

"Will, please—"

"Maybe we can watch a movie and relax, okay? I'd rather we do that, wanna do that?"

"WILL!" She stopped in front of the television and sighed, back facing Melissa. "Will... I need to know the truth... Did you get your memories back?"

Will just stared at the top of the TV for a moment, Leading the atmosphere into a tense deep silence before Will sighed and answered, "I don't like to talk about that Melissa."

"It's important that you do."

Melissa was about to walk over before Will swirled around and spat, "You know what? Yes. Yes, I got my memories back."

Melissa sighed and asked, "Why did you lie to me?"

"Questions I don't like. Answers you won't. I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship, let alone relationship because of my past. This isn't just any secret, Melissa. And..." Will stopped and double backed. "Wait... Why did they tell you that?"

Melissa sighed and answered, "Because... I... I'm... Will... I'm a Guardian."


	17. The Fuse

**The Fuse**

Melissa's answer reverberated through Will's mind like a faint echo. _I'm a Guardian._ Over and over. It was tearing her up inside. Will shook her head and denied, "No you're not."

Melissa sighed, "Will—"

Will pointed and interrupted, "You're not a Guardian. You can't be a Guardian."

Melissa calmly lifted her left hand in an inviting gesture with her palm face up and used her right index finger to create a small dusty vortex in her palm. Will only watched in horror. "I've been a Guardian ever since I first moved here. I'm the Guardian of Air. Will... The girls and I have been chasing a girl that demolished Meridian, hurt Elyon, Luba, and Kadma. As well as destroyed the Chamber hall on Kandrakar and stole a book. And the Guardians can't stop her."

Will closed her eyes and bowed her head when Melissa asked, "Will... Was that you?"

After a few seconds, she answered timidly, "You don't know what it's like, Melissa. For someone to just... Just _switch_ on you!" Melissa's heart rate sped up. Oh no. Oh God no. Will looked back up to Melissa from the floor and answered, "They hurt me in more ways than one. Then erased my mind—My past, both good and bad!... Like it never happened. They hurt me permanently and personally, what do you expect me to do? No one is higher than Himerish and he can't be punished. He was the one who erased my mind. After all I did for them and I was pushed aside."

"Will you attacked your friends—"

Will yelled, "And they burned my face, and erased four years of my life I would have never remembered again if it weren't for the Remnant of Quintessence! Like what I thought didn't matter. Was _that_ not much?"

"Then both sides are guilty. But Will, we're trying to stop you from making a grave mistake. We don't know what you're planning... But you destroyed an entire city and hurt Elyon."

"Elyon assisted in the burning of my face. And the erasing of my memories."

Melissa shook her head and stated, "Will I'm on the other team. If you don't stop this, you'll lose me." Melissa walked over and grabbed her hand timidly. They stared into each other's eyes filled with uncertainty. Melissa whispered, "I don't _want_ to lose you Will, I love you. I don't want to fight you, or hurt you. I just want you to drop this and continue being my girlfriend, and vice versa."

Will sighed and responded, "I love you too , Melissa. And I don't want to lose you either. But... I can't just let this go. That day hurt. It was full of pain and suffering. And confusion. They didn't just hurt me. They hurt my mom and dad. They hurt my family. And even if I did turn myself in, what would they possibly do? Put me in a prison cell and have an astral drop take my place here? Erase any existence of me from off the face of Earth? Scold me? Tell my parents, what? They can't do anything."

"You can start by apologizing to each other."

"Himerish apologized before he took my memories. I'm sorry, Melissa. I can't just sit down and talk treaties with the same people who burned me alive. It doesn't work that way."

"Then... Will, I'm sorry too. But... I'm afraid we're done." Will's heart stopped. She looked up into Melissa's face reflecting her own sadness.

"Melissa—"

"I can't fight you knowing I love you."

Will slowly shook her head. "Melissa please—"

"Will... I just want to be friends. And I don't know if we can even be that because of what you did to everyone else."

Will grabbed Melissa's hand before she could leave. "Melissa, please! You _have_ to understand! They literally tried—"

Melissa pried Will's hand off and interrupted with, "Will you hurt other people! I can't just accept this! It's not you, it's not the girl I fell in love with!"

"So you'd rather I have no memories then and act like nothing happened?"

Melissa sighed and placed her final kiss on Will's forehead. Then backed away towards the door with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Will. But I can't date you." Before Will could respond, Melissa opened the door and left. Leaving Will in silence. And alone. Will wasn't sure how long she stood there. But it must've been for quite ssome time. Will took a deep breath then turn and ran up the stairs. Melissa had dumped her. After everything they had done. She chose to listen to... Screw her sudden plans of dropping this revenge plot. It's back on full force.

Will was angry. Furious. Furious enough to change into Starfire in the house. Will walked into her room and used her powers to grab the cloak hidden in her closet. The teleported back downstairs to grab her purse. She unzipped and pulled out her house key and phone, carelessly tossing them somewhere behind them. Next grabbed the book and notepad then threw the purse the same way. She didn't need too much wait. No more waiting. No more gloves. They brought this out of her.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

After Melissa left, the other girls decided to stay at the silver dragon. It truly devastated Cornelia when she saw tears running down her face. It was so sad.

Taranee glanced up from her phone and asked, "Anything?"

The other girls shook their heads before the door upstairs opened, letting in light and whoever else was walking down those stairs. Irma asked, "Melissa? How are you feeling?"

Whoever it was took their time. The stairs creaked with every step. Black flats first, then familiar black and red leggings up to the black leather skirt. "I'm afraid..." Starfire walked into view urging immediate action. The Girls jumped up and got ready while Starfire calmly yawned at the bottom of the stairs. "Melissa isn't available. Don't know why she isn't _here_ actually, should be the other way around."

Taranee's eyes enflamed before she snarled, "Where. Is. Melissa."

Starfire shrugged and answered, "Not sure. Hey, I know. Let's ask her girlfriend!" Starfire in a flash changed back into Will. Long red hair, red eyes, the same ol' Wilhelmina Vandom.

Hay-Lin sighed and said, "I knew it. How'd you get your memories back?"

Will casually grabbed the chair Melissa was sitting in before and slid it out to take a seat herself. Then raised her right arm. A snake, a very large one made of fire slowly crawled out of her sleeve and onto the table, forcing the girls back. Will finally answered, "Well I found my rock and got them restored. I wish you could feel what pain you caused me. I woke up in the hospital, trying to figure out who Dean was. Why I wasn't back in Fadden Hills. So much confusion. So much pain." Will calmly petted the pet snake that curled up into a pile and eyed Hay-Lin directly, flicking its forked tongue out at her.

"Then I meet... Her. Melissa. Two new girls in town who share the same interests and have no idea where anything was and decided to navigate it together. Two girls harboring feelings. Then find romance. I lost all sight in my right eye. Thank you so much, Hay-Lin, I mean... Look at me." Will reached up and pushed her red hair to the side, revealing her gray and lifeless right eye. As well as the terrible blackness and cracks. "Beautiful, right?"

Hay-Lin gulped and stated, "You brought that on yourself."

Will chuckled and retorted, "Yes, which in turn brought down Meridian." The snake whipped around and hissed at Elyon, forcing her back before she could say anything. "Then again when I demolished Kandrakar, no matter how little. Then we go back and forth, back and forth. Until we come to today. You know... To be honest I was actually thinking about dropping everything today. Really. I met Melissa's aunt at the cook out and she said I could be a model. I went out today and got so many compliments on what I'm wearing right now that I was just going to hand myself over and tell my mother about the idea. I was going to return the book and everything."

Taranee added, "And return the remnant?"

Will snorted and answered, "I take it the big guys didn't tell you _everything_ about the Remnants. I can't take them off. Literally. Just like the Remnant of Quintessence." Will pointed to the large one at her neck, directing their eyes to that. Crap, she had two. "So no, there will be no returning. Similar to Himerish when he took my precious memories."

"Will—"

"Will is dead," she interrupted. She stopped petting the snake and added, "She died today after her girlfriend dumped her. The only thing she was holding onto. Will shriveled up into a tiny little ball and blew into bits and pieces."

Cornelia bit her lip. She could only imagine how Melissa must be feeling right now. "Melissa is fine by the way," Will added. "She was at my doorstep, we spoke, she found out, asked me to drop it, and when I didn't dumped me and left. But she's not alone, she has you guys." Will counted them off her hands. "She has Cornelia, Hay-Lin, Irma, Taranee, Elyon, those two new girls, her parents, and all those family members who drove from another state while Will only has mom who works all the time, the stepdad who's her science teacher, the baby brother who doesn't talk yet, the rich father who lives in another city that doesn't even call to check up on us, and the step mom I don't like and doesn't get me. Melissa has more than enough support. I take medicine at least three times a week because an asshole threw lightning at my face, my emotions are all out of wack, and because a shiny headed bald man stole my memories with no damn intentions _**of returning them!! Then everyone's mad at Will because she destroyed a city!! Now tell me why the**_ **HELL _you're worried about Melissa!"_**

Irma retorted, "Because Melissa is our friend and Ally, _not_ our enemy!"

The snake lunged at Irma and bit her arm. The Guardians were about to attack before they found themselves flying back into the walls and whatever else was around. Cornelia for instance hit the television. Taranee groaned and hit the back of her head

Will sighed and lowered her arms. They just _had_ to make this difficult. Will walked over to Irma lying on the ground holding her arm and stomped on her chest. Then slowly leaned into her face. "Melissa was the only thing I had. And you Guardians took her away from me. I loved and cherished her. The only thing I had. Now... I have nothing but revenge. I am going to take away everything you all have. All of it. Just so you can feel how I feel." Will stepped off of Irma's chest while her snake crawled up her leg, going back to wherever it came from.

She released her hold on the other Guardians and made her way to the stairs. Then changed back into Starfire and said, "Will is dead and you'll never find her. There is only Starfire now." She used her hand to swipe open a rift. Then stepped through into an alleyway on Hootakah.

Once the rift closed, Taranee ran over to Irma and helped her up. "Are you okay?"

Irma nodded as the others got their bearings and looked around. At least she didn't break too much. Then it clicked. Cornelia gasped and stated, "She disappearred. Where'd she go?"

Hay-Lin shook her head and stated, "Let her go. We have no idea what we're looking for. We need backup. Sorry, Melissa. But we can cry later. Will is about to make a huge mistake."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Once the rift closed, Will took a good look around her surroundings. In an alley, next to a dumpster. Heatherfield described perfectly. She smelled food so there must be a restaurant nearby. But Will wasn't worried about food. She was listening to the voices whispering in her head, leading her towards the next Remnant. It was here. Somewhere. But there would be no more hiding. No more masks, no more pillows and covers. The gloves are off.

Will growled and became angry. They took the one thing Will loved. They were going to pay. And with that Will grunted and made her way out of the alley.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Go ahead and comment what you think is going to happen in the future! As well as your view on the story!!


	18. Target: Hootakah, Merina, and Meridian

**Target** : **Hootakah** **, Merina, and Meridian**

Just like Earth. It looked just like Earth. Just full of women. Starfire stopped at the entrance to the alley and looked at all the familiar buildings and signs. Cars moved up and down the street, stopping at stoplights and parking on the side of the road. Police officers were women. Everything was just... Woman. Not a guy anywhere.

Will closed her eyes and got back to the task at hand: Getting the next remnant. She could hear the voices in her head telling her where they all were. It took a few minutes to decipher the words, but she did find the one for Hootakah. The Everlasting Pool. A pool of water as old as time. It's a touchy place for these ladies. A sacred area. Too bad. Will needed that rock.

Starfire strode out of view and soared into the air before anyone could notice. Then turned an immediate right, soaring over the small apartments and stores heading for the center of all the modern day skyscrapers downtown. It was in the air. That feeling. And she was picking it up like a radio signal.

Not wanting to waste time, Starfire landed in an alley once there and carelessly walked out. Then grinned and took what she needed. By force.

 _ **W.I.T.C.H**_

Melissa was sad. Taranee could tell that from her expression when they picked her up and stepped through onto Kandrakar. They were running towards the chamber, eyes on the task but mind on what just happened. All minds. Melissa's eyes were cold. Lifeless. Nearly identical to Will's before all this craziness. But at least they showed sadness too. She necmver expected it. The girl they were fighting... Was her girlfriend. Who lied to her.

Melissa muttered, "How did she even get her memories back?"

They slowed to a stop at the doors Before Irma answered, "Apparently from a rock. She paid us a little visit before we picked you up." Melissa glanced over for a moment. But trained her eyes back on the ground less than a second later. Cornelia could see she was having a hard time. She would too if her boyfriend turned out to be some evil jerk.

Cornelia wrapped an arm around her shoulder and cooed, "Heyyy, everything's to be okay."

Melissa shook her head and answered, "No. It won't." The other girls stopped at the same time she did, giving her their eyes of worry and sadness. Melissa huffed to the floor. Then finally glanced up and admitted, "Girls, I... I don't want to fight Will. I can't hurt her, and I know she doesn't want to hurt me."

"You won't have to." All eyes focused on the stern speaker—Hay-Lin—for a moment. Obviously surprised at that statement. She added, "Because _none_ of us are going to fight her."

The area in front of the doors was so silent that if an ant were crawling by they would hear it. Irma broke it by waving her hands dismissively and repeating, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you mean 'We're not fighting her?'"

Hay-Lin stepped closer and answered, "Let's face it. Will is stronger. Seriously stronger than all of us. How, it's because of those Remnants. She has two. Not one, but _two._ We've all but Melissa have seen and felt what she can do without them. _With_ them, she burned an entire city with a wave of her hand. Going up against her would be suicide. Not to mention foolish. Now she's going after five."

Cornelia removed her arm around Melissa and asked, "Well what do you want us to do? Let her destroy everything?!"

Hay-Lin shook her head and answered, "We're going to let her take the remnants."

Taranee immediately deadpanned, "That's stupid."

Melissa shook her head and whispered, "No... Hay-Lin has a point." All eyes turned to her next. Melissa quickly elaborated, "Just like Hay-Lin said, you've all seen and witnessed Will _before_ all of this. But you managed to stop her because she wasn't as strong as she is now. Knowing Will, she's really upset right now and is riding on her emotions. Her Bipolar Depression is in full swing right now and she more than likely won't hold back. Fighting her would be like fighting a den of lions without powers."

Irma huffed and coalesced, "Okay, so she gets all the remnants. Then what?"

Hay-Lin shook her head and answered, "Girls, we've been looking at this all wrong. This isn't the Will we know. The Will we know is stable, calm, and collected. But that's apparently just around us. At home, things aren't so great. She's alone, doesn't have much except her mom and her dad-teacher. Then she got Melissa and things started looking up. But now things fell off the deep end and she lost everything. Again. And I guess she stopped taking her medicine, got fed up, and decided to take her frustrations out on everyone."

Taranee groaned and suggested, "So like—I hate myself for saying this by the way—like a school shooter."

"Yeah, exactly like one but on an extremely larger scale. Right now she's just getting all the ammunition. Then when the time is right our worst fears will come true. You can't exactly stop a shooter with superpowers by tackling them to the ground or punching them in the face. Especially when she has the power to turn an entire city to ashes."

Irma crossed her arms playfully and teased, "Wise words from the Great Hay-Lin. What else you got in there?"

"A plan." Hay-Lin turned around and pushed open the doors to the room. "Step One? While Will is gettng what she needs, we get what we need: Knowledge from the one person who knows exactly how to handle Will."

They walked in and stopped in front of the Council, who were anxiously waiting before Melissa asked, "And who would that be?"

Hay-Lin cleared her throat and called, "Oracle? We're requesting the memories of Susan Vandom."

 _ **W.I.T.C.H**_

The Everlasting Pool looked pretty much like a really large temple with a bigger front yard. Across the street from Will's position in an alley was a land of green, outlined by a ring of stone statues of more women and flanked far by tall buildings. The area in the direct middle of the green was like the large temple or a government building with open doors. From this position, Will could see inside past all the visitors and open doors. There must be a sunroof, based on the light blasting inside from the ceiling.

Will couldn't hurt this place. Their specialist Mariho lived here. And she hasn't wronged her. They wouldn't be hurt in this one.

Will took a breath and strode out of the alley into the light by sidewalk, destination across the street for the sidewalk across, leading up to the stairs for the park. Based on the terms, the remnant was—

A screech and car horn pulled Will out of her planning and over to the honking of the car on the right. A woman with long yellow hair poked her head out and yelled, "Get the fuck out of the road!! Idiot!"

Will stared at the car for a moment, ignorant of those around. Did she just... You little!— Will bent low and gripped underneath the front bumper then shot it back up, flipping the car effortlessly into the air. A bunch of people screamed and ran around before the car even landed on its hood in a heap behind the one that was waiting behind it. The Gloves were off. And so was her cover. While chaos was amok, Will jumped over the steps and landed in the park of the Everlasting Pool. Security was around here somewhere.Will had to keep an eye for them.

And speak of the devil. Up ahead women in police uniforms had guns pointed at her and were anxiously moving her way. "Put your hands up!! Don't move, put 'em up!!"

Will stopped and calmly did as asked. Then used her power to freeze the air around them, freezing their movements and turning themselves into statues. She continued on, walking past the officers who could only glance her way as she moved for the pool.

Not a lot of people in here. It _was_ a sacred area. Will was right to assume there was a sunroof in this ninety percent stone structure. It was allowing light to blast down onto the pool of blue water up ahead. Ringed by white stones bearing strange characters. The water was still and silent. Actually, the entire room was still and silent. Perfect for no distractions.

Smirking, Will graciously walked towards it and listened to the directions in her head. It was at the very bottom, very deep and far. She wasn't going to let her guard down by diving to the bottom. So Will raised her hand over the surface and used her levitation to grip what she needed.

"I had a feeling you'd eventually come here." Will blinked and glanced up. Mariho was behind her. By the entrance. About time she showed up. "I didn't even know we had a Remnant."

"You are the third location." Will gripped the single stone brick that flew out into her hand, splashing water onto the floor. Then finally turned around to face a second version of Taranee. Mariho was ready for a war. She had on a belt fitted with a lot of knives and hands emblazoned with fire, eyes burning with rage. She'll never get to use any of them. Will sighed and stated, "I won't hurt your people directly. Or this place. I just needed the remnant."

"It's always about what you need, isn't it?" Mariho asked. Then swung her right hand, flinging a ball of fire straight for Will. She dodged to the side then caught it like a baseball.

Will firmly stated, "You don't want to make me angry, Mariho."

"Sorry, sort of my thing Vandom. I always make my enemies angry." Mariho drew out two knives and ran for her before Will calmly flicked her wrist like she swatted a fly, effortlessly tossing her to the side. Mariho hit the stone floor and rolled to a stop, grunting. Then was lifted back up and thrown back into a stone column. Yelping, she fell to the ground before Will grabbed her by the neck and slammed her up against the same column she was thrown against.

Eyes full of lightning and teeth snarling in anger, Will growled into her face, "It's Starfire." Before hitting her upside the temple with the brick, knocking her out and slumping her to the ground. Will bent low to check her pulse for a moment just to make sure. Yeah, she was unconscious. Not dead. Maybe a concussion, but not dead.

Once she was out of the way, Will lifted the brick and slammed it down onto the stone ground, shattering it into bits and pieces with a bang. Then kneeled down and moved the pieces around before smirking at what she needed. Just like the Remnant of Fire, the Remnant of Water was held in a lace golden band bearing a large blue gem. Will stood back up and looked to the doorway. A lot more officers were showing up based off of the yelling going on. Time to go. Starfire reached in the band of her black skirt and pulled out her book. What was the next location?

After referring to the notes. Will ripped open another rift and stepped through, leaving Mariho knocked out on the ground and unfreezing the officers. Mission complete. Time to grab the fourth one.

 _ **W.I.T.C.H**_

Hay-Lin stood still and waited for a reaction from the heads in front of her. She just told them the entire plan, and they respectfully listened. Now it was time to see if they were on board.

From the front, Himerish sighed and stated, "It is a wonderful idea, Hay-Lin. However I am not sure if we have time. Will is going after all of the Remnants now, I am sure."

"Starfire." Eyes shifted to Melissa. "She calls herself Starfire."

Taranee muttered, "Yeah, I thought she had a new name."

Hay-Lin coalesced, "Well 'Starfire' is going to destroy everything. As of this moment, the timer is ticking. We can't fight her, she's too strong. And we don't need anymore injuries. I came up with the theory that Susan had a process in the past whenever Will had a meltdown. If we knew that process, then we'd be able to plan at least something strategic, rather than attack blindly."

All eyes turned to Himerish. He was the only one who could say yes or no. His eyes were unreadable, expression cold and bland. He could possibly say no. But Hay-Lin stood her ground with determination. She knew what needed to be done. Finally Himerish answered, "It will take me a little over an hour to find her. What will you do while I search?"

Hay-Lin immediately answered, "I'm going to round everyone up and tell them the plan. We don't have a lot of time. If I know Will, she's doing everything now. And there's no telling where she is." A white noise grew in her head, along with everyone else around her. "Well... We know she's on the move at least. She possibly has another Remnant. She knows where they all are. How, I'm not sure. But she does."

Himerish stood up with Luba and responded, "Then we must act quickly."

Melissa took this opportunity to look up and ask, "What happens after we grab her? And have her... Detained, I guess."

Irma added, "I also am a little curious about that. According to her, we can't take the remnants off. Which means she'll still have the power to control everything."

From the bottom row, Halinor answered sternly, "We'll leave that to you. That will be your decision on what to do. Just like she said, we can't do anything to stop her unless she's powerless. The only way we stopped Nerissa and Phobos was by relinquinshing their power. However, we cannot do that to Will. So as her friends we'll let you decide what to do with her."

Hay-Lin nodded and turned back to everyone else before a rift opened on the right side of the room and out popped January, covered in tiny bruises and taking dep breaths. "She's..." She took a few deep breaths. "She's on Merina. She has four Remnants and... And totalled our militia forces."

Four?! Elyon looked to the Guardians and assumed, "Then she must have already hit another location. We haven't heard back from Mariho."

Hay-Lin immediately swiped a rift and decreed, "We'll go and check it out. Let's go girls." She jumped through the rift first and out onto the concrete road in front of the Everlasting Pool where a lot of police were present. The most damage they could see was a flipped car and a woman being looked at in front of them. Taranee gazed around with her hands on her hips and whispered, "Yeah, she was here."

Hay-Lin slowly nodded with intense eyes on the scene while January joined the fray. "Let's ask what happened and get some details. They know about us here."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Merina was simple. Very simple. Will had never been there before, but it looked like something out of a Star Wars movie. A lot of stone structures and futuristic weapons. But they all worked the same way. They had to move through the air. So Will easily froze them and walked right past their defensive line, grabbed what she needed, and rifted out of sight. They literally couldn't even move to stop her. Once Will was on the dusty and destroyed hill of Meridian, Will took a look around her environment. Pretty much everything was totalled. The atmosphere was dusty, all the homes were destroyed and military presence was high.

Will took a deep breath and calmly looked into her left hand. Two remnants. That makes four. One more, then she could conduct her... "Experiment." Well it wasn't exactly an experiment, she already knew what was going to happen. Everything connected to the veil would collapse. She could easily put it back together if she just so happened to change her mind. But until then...

Will whispered, "I'm sorry I disappointed you, mommy." Then took a knee and set down the Remnant of Water she took from Hootakah to put on the Remnant of Air from Merina.

She reached down and slipped off her flat on her left ankle. Then lifted her left foot and stretched out the Remnant of Air. The placement of the Remnants was tricky. They formed a system on her body, coursing through her body and into the gems. If they missed a gem, it would create a discharge and ultimately result in a messy explosion. But Will had confidence. Once the gem was in the correct determined position, Will slowly settled it down onto her skin. She immediately felt the connection in her body extend, pushing a smile onto her face. The white gem in the remnant shined bright, casting a soothing glow onto her face. It was amazing.

Now for the Remnant of Water. It took roughly the same amount of time but eventually extended her body's connection once more through her right ankle. One more was needed. And that was here in Meridian, in a location called the Crystal Caves.

She's never heard of them. But they must exist in here somewhere. With that thought in mind, Will flapped her wings and took off into the dusty desolate air, flying over the city. Just one more remnant. One more.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Searching for Susan Vandom's memories weren't easy. And that's for everyone. Looking for memories _at all_ was difficult. But they did eventually find what they were looking for. All memories are stored in balls of neon light, shifting randomly through colors. Himerish had already looked through the past before for clues. But he may have missed something.

The chamber hall was still quiet save for the discussion about Merina and Hootakah being attacked when he and Luba returned. January was with Halinor going through a few healing spells. The Guardians were going through specifics about the plan. Poor Melissa was having the time of her life trying to figure it out. But those conversations ceased when Himerish walked in. Holding Susan's Memories in hand.

He and Luba walked over to the stands. Then Himerish gently raised it into a spinning ball of light in the air. Blinking, Himerish directed his unsure gaze to the Guardians and asked, "Are you sure you want to see this?"

This was a new level of breaking and entering. But Hay-Lin knew it had to be done. She nodded and answered, "It has to be done."

Luba nodded back and responded, "Very well. We will purposely skip past a few parts for the sake of time and move only to the instances when her daughter became upset, depressed, angry. You will not like what you see. Good luck." Then Luba reached up and tapped the Orb.


	19. A Future Reality

**A Future Reality**

It expanded and blew like a bomb, whooping back their hair and pushing them into a world they never knew. A new reality. A past point in time. They were standing on a sidewalk in a pleasant neighborhood of houses. Obviously evening if the setting sun was a clue. No trees, no noises. Silence.

Taranee opened her eyes and looked around their environment first. Concluding, "We're the only ones in here."

With her eyes trained ahead to a specific home, Hay-Lin responded, "We were the only ones who asked. I'm not surprised. C'mon." Hay-Lin took the first few steps forward towards the one house they were facing. This must be the subject if they were automatically placed in front of it. It was really nice. Two floors and _big_. It had a garage with a fancy car, well cut green grass and a privacy fence. The door was wooden. But they didn't have to knock. They let themselves in by walking through the doors into Wonderland.

Irma whistled and voiced her own opinion, "Nice house. Will's family has money."

Melissa took a few more steps across the wooden floor into the expansive hallway. It was a little similar to their homes in Heatherfield. Just much bigger. She didn't have anything like this in Jersey. Heatherfield was a step up for herself while Heatherfield for Will was a step down. The living room was on the right that seemed to be connected to a library or something while straight ahead was a hallway leading straight to the back. There was a staircase here too. Leading to the second level. On the left was a modern looking kitchen with a lot of stainless steel appliances, a glass table with some open notebooks on it. But where was Will and Susan?

Deciding moving to look was better than waiting, Taranee walked into the kitchen and looked around. No Susan in here. Melissa walked to the back and got the same result with Cornelia. Placing her hands on her hips and looking around, Cornelia stated, "I don't think they're home."

When the front door opened, they all whipped around and trained their sights on it. _There_ they were. Susan looked a lot different. Instead of long blue hair it was much shorter. She was wearing a dress suit and carrying a nice brown leather pocketbook, all business. Where did she work? Cornelia just had to approve of her style. It was good.

Then walked in Will. Melissa gasped then slapped her hands on her cheeks and fawned over. This was when Will was much younger. So she was smaller, had short hair, and was wearing a red dress matching her head. She looked so innocent that Melissa just wanted to hug her. Once Will was in, Susan shut and locked the door. But Will kept walking in with crossed arms and a frown to the floor. The Guardians eyed her small form as she moved past. Something was obviously wrong. Will wears her feelings a lot.

From the entrance, Susan watched her leave with a sigh. "Will..." She whispered.

Will stopped walking for a moment. Then turned around and shook her head. Whispering, "I don't like this mom. I don't want you and Dad to leave me." Irma bit her lip and looked up at Hay-Lin. She only glanced up in return.

"We're not leaving you, sweetie." Susan set her pocketbook down on the floor and approached little Will. Then kneeled low and softly grasped Will's hands, staring up into her saddened eyes.

"You're... Leaving each other. Which means one of you will be leaving me... Is... Is this my fault—"

"No," Susan immediately shot down. She reached out and slowly stroked Will's hair. "No, baby, it's not your fault. We love you with all our hearts. We just... Lost our own zings, okay? It's not you, it's us."

Will sighed and looked away from her mother's eyes. Irma could tell something was going on in Will's mind at that point but refused to voice it. Then everything melted away like falling sand from the sight of the Guardians, placing them in a different time. They were in a circle upstairs in the same house looking at the floor where Susan and Will were conversing before, now different with carpet. They looked up at each other thinking the same thing.

Cornelia stroked her hair and whispered, "That was intense. Who knew a few words could have such an impact."

Taranee nodded and looked around. They were once again in the quiet household. But there was silence last time too before they got to witness Susan's reality. Melissa stopped her own sights on a door on the right near the stairs with a paper sign on it that read, "Will only." She tapped Hay-Lin's shoulder and motioned towards the door. There had to be something in there.

Hay-Lin followed her sights then gestured with a smooth wave of her hand for everyone to follow her. Even though these were memories and these people couldn't hear them, they moved quietly across the floor, destination for the room before a voice called out, "Will? Will, where are you, sweetie?!"

Irma turned around and listened to the frantic footsteps of Susan as she climbed the stairs and popped into view. She seemed urgent and worried, nearly tripping on the last one and holding a phone in her hand with a desperate look on her face. She ran past the Guardians and pushed the door open, gasping. She dropped everything to the floor and yelled, "Will! Oh my god, Will!!!" She ran into the room leaving the door wide open. And the new devastation of what happened. Cornelia walked in first and covered her mouth, eyes wide in terror as she observed the situation. Followed by the others. Will was lying in the middle of the hardwood floor.

In a puddle of blood. A broken picture frame lied in pieces nearby, along with shards. One of them had blood on it. Irma gulped and walked in the room while Susan grabbed her purse for her phone. Then kneeled down next to Will's unmoving body. "She committed suicide," Hay-Lin whispered.

"Yeah, duh!" Cornelia yelled. She ran over with the others and looked her over. The puddle she was in was slowly getting bigger. Melissa was tempted to just pick her up and carry her to the nearest hospital. But she knew this wasn't the real Will. She couldn't even touch her.

Susan ran back in the room and dropped down next to Will with a desperate bundle of towels. Then grabbed Will and picked her up to place her head on her lap. Everything under her neck was covered in blood, along with the left side of her face. And all of their suspicions were correct. The largest gash they had ever seen on her right wrist was pouring out blood to the floor below. Deep enough to show everything inside.

In obvious desperation, Susan grabbed the towels and Will's right arm to try and stop the bleeding. But it was coming out too fast. "Oh, Wilhelmina!" She cried. "You're not leaving me, sweetheart! You're going to stay here with your mommy!"

"I..." All eyes looked down to Will's face. Her eyes were barely open. But her face had a calm look on it, despite the definite pain she was in. She whispered, "I'm sorry, mommy—"

Susan grabbed her wrist to apply as much pressure as humanly possible. Then replied through her tears, "You did nothing wrong, Ladybug. You are the best thing that has ever happened in my life. And I will always love you."

Will's bloody left arm moved up to cup her mother's left face before Susan started to sing a nirsery rhyme. "Little wings, little wings, take your first flight. Out on your own, soaring into the night. Little Wings, Little Wings, don't feel alone. You may be far away but you'll aways be at home. Little Wings, Little Wings, you'll never leave my heart. Little Wings I'll love you 'til death do us part. Little Wings, Little Wings, don't feel alone. As long as we are here you'll always be at home."

The Guardians looked down at Will while the sirens cut off outside. She smiled weakly and whispered, "Ms. Pit Pat."

Susan nodded eagerly and confirmed, "Yes, Ms. Pit Pat baby! She used this all the time when you became upset. Remember: That even though things may look bad, we will always love you, Little Wings. You are always home when your family is around."

Will dropped her hand and closed her eyes before the EMS crew ran in, ending the flashback and letting what they just saw sink in. They were placed in Heatherfield this time. In front of Will's current home, brightene by the noon sun. Eyes on the house, Taranee whispered, "Will actually killed herself before. I think I'm scarred for life."

Hay-Lin sighed and silently admitted she may be too. That was one of the things you wish you could never see again, and wished to be erased from your mind. Unfortunately, they needed all of this information. Shrugging that off, Hay-Lin assessed the environment around them. A sunny day. Recent, based off of what Melissa could tell. Especially since Will walked right through Melissa from behind and towards her home on the other side, wearing that same orange sundress and towel on the day that they had... Wait. Melissa walked ahead of the other guardians and followed her through the open door before it was closed in Hay-Lin's face. Well would be if they were actually there. Thankfully, this was just a memory and not a current reality so they just walked through. Will's hair was all over the place instead of its straight look.

Taranee walked up next to Melissa and pointed it out. "Is it just me or is Will's hair _wayyy_ out of place? Isn't she like a hair guru or something?"

Melissa didn't answer. She had a bad feeling about this day. So she just raised a hand to silence them and let it happen. When Will walked in, so did her mother. Carrying her little brother in her arms. She stopped at the entrance to the kitchen and eyed Will up and down while she tried to fix her hair. "Bedhead?" She asked.

The Guardians turned to Will for an answer. But were quite surprsied to see her sporting a blush. "Uhhh... Yeah?" After Susan nodded at her, Will darted past her and ran up the stairs.

Melissa grabbed Taranee's arm and led her up the stairs with the other girls. Since no one else was asking, Cornelia decided to. "Wait, what's going on, Melissa?"

Still no answer. Instead, she continued moving up the stairs behind Will and followed her into her room. The others filed in before Will softly shut the door. Then watched her press her back against it and turned her face up to the ceiling with closed eyes. And a pleasant smile. Crossing her arms, Irma smirked and asked, "I wonder what has her so.. Peaceful." They turned to Melissa for a guess since she more than likely knew what was going on, but she had her own blush to deal with.

Will abandoned the door and walked through Hay-Lin for her dresser in the corner by the window for her phone. While she was dealing with that, Hay-Lin turned to Melissa and asked, "I take it you know what today is?"

Melissa gulped and sighed. "Yeah," she whispered. "Yeah, we went to the beach today. Then after that we went to my place and... You know..."

Cornelia giggled and asked, "Was she delicious?"

Melissa scowled, prepped with comeback before Taranee called, "Uhhh, girls?" They looked back to Will. She had whipped around and looked around her room for a second. Like she heard something. Taranee asked, "Did any of you hear anything?"

They shook their heads before Will grimaced, attracting attention again. She reached up and felt the right side of her head while moving slowly for her bed. She turned around and sat on the edge facing the window, grunting in pain. Taranee gasped and pointed to the pendant on her neck. It was growing darker, leaving the wonderful pink to a red. Melissa nodded and said, "That's the necklace I gave her. On the beach."

A knock on the door startled all out of their minds and towards it. "Will?" Susan called. "I'm going to the store with William. I'll be back in a little while."

Will answered, "O-Okay!" Then whipped back around and continued staring at the floor. With her eyes on her, Melissa walked around the bed and kneeled down to gaze into Will's face. The Guardians followed close behind. Mainly to see what was going on. Will closed her eye and groaned, slowly shaking her head. "M-Mom?!" She yelled. Then attempted to get up and walk to the door before she fell back on her bed on her front.

Hay-Lin shook her head and asked, "Any idea, girls?"

Melissa whispered, "I think... Will got her memories back this very day." Will's left hand grabbed the bed sheets while her right grabbed and squeezed her head through her hair.

"Ahhhhh!!" She screamed. Melissa yelped and jumped up out of surprise. "Help!! Somebody!!" Then a final scream that they had to cover their ears for before it cut. Will's eyes rolled into the back of her head. Then slowly closed.

They stared in silence. Trying to figure out—"What the hell just happened?" Cornelia whispered. Then looked down to Melissa for answers.

She raised her hands in surrender and answered, "I wasn't here so I can't tell you. I didn't even _know_ about this, remember?"

Hay-Lin ran her hands through her hair. They needed some information into Will. a lot. Will had her powers on the very day she and Melissa went through some sexual tension. So... What happened? Hay-Lin huffed and said, "Okay. We know Will got her powers back today. So her depression kicked in today too. You just don't get mad after having awesome sex. Especially if Will had a face like that earlier. She enjoyed it."

Cornelia nudged Melissa and whispered, "Tell me later."

"But the clock is ticking. In case none of you guys noticed, Starfire stopped moving."

Melissa wouldn't have if Hay-Lin didn't mention it. But when she did, they all realized they hadn't felt any stings in their heads. Irma immediately asked, "Do you think she has all the Remnants?"

Hay-Lin nodded and answered, "She seemed to be in a rush when she left, so maybe. Either way, we need to speed this up."

A slight shuffling grabbed their attention once again to the bed. Will was lying in a strange position. She wasn't like this a few seconds ago. Half of her body was on the bed while the other half was lying off. Yeah, she wasn't like that earlier. but that was beside the point. A small puddle of blood was lying by her right hand on the floor.

Melissa stood up at the same time Will used her left hand to push herself up into a sitting position on the side of her bed. She softly and slowly placed her hands in her hands once more. Probably thinking.

Taranee whispered, "I have a bad feeling, girls."

Will dropped her hands and made slow and careful strides for her desk through the Guardians. The pendant on her neck was a deep red now. Deep as blood. It made Melissa more concerned. Will dropped into her chair and once more dropped her head into her hands. After some deep breathing, she muttered, "What... Happ..." Will's breathing stopped. Then she slowly lowered her hands and bared wide eyes to the floor. Next she slowly lifted her head to the mirror on the back of her door. Then slowly rose to her feet with her eyes still on the door.

Her expression changed to nothing. unreadable. Cold. Cornelia swallowed hard. Next Will reached up and grabbed her red hair covering the right half of her face. Then pulled it to the side, revealing the true damage. Melissa gasped and covered her mouth. Never in years would she expect to see something like this. Her the area around her eye was chizzled and friend. And her eye was lifeless. Like a drop of acid on white paint.

The other guardians sighed and had their own reactions in their own ways. "There was never a lick of flames." Will looked down at the pendant she was wearing and added, "You restored my memories."

She looked up to the mirror before Melissa walked closer to look at Will at a closer angle. She shook her head and whispered, "They wouldn't listen. I needed ECT and... They burned my face and had the nerve to erase my memory of it. Then replaced it with a _**LIE!"**_ Melissa shrieked when everything pretty much exploded. All items flew out of place and caused chaos. By instinct the Guardians took cover before it all paused and everything was quiet. Opening her eyes, Melissa silently gasped. Will was holding her right hand out to the area behind her and somehow stopped the chaos. Her face was drawn in anger.

Today was the day she got her memories back. Today was the day she attacked Meridian. Today was the day Melissa's girlfriend changed. Slowly lowering her hand, everything slid back into place and adjusted like it never happened. Then, she raised her right index finger and slowly drew a red line.

She was back. The Guardians all screamed and gripped their heads from the hot knife that was cutting through their brains.

From the hidden caves of Meridian, Will slowly drew open a rift, breaking her way through reality slowly. All remnants glowed from their respective places on her body. The deep red Remnant of Quintessence was settled on her chest, the white Remnant of Air was settled on her her left ankle, the blue Remnant of Water was on her right ankle, the green Remnant of Earth was on her left wrist, and the orange-red Remnant of Fire was on her right wrist. She was complete.

They shone like stars on her body, cutting through the haze of Meridian and giving her power she never knew imaginable. Power to move the planet. To make everyone finally listen to her. But was that what she really wanted? Yes, and no. She wanted to be recognized. But not in this way. But just this once, she will be seen. She will be recognized. Will raised her hand and slowly cut open another rift, beaking open the barrier of no return. Today was the day. In a few hours, everything will topple. And everyone will see her power.


	20. Starfire's Takeover Part 1

**Starfire's Takeover Part 1**

In the blink of an eye, Melissa and the other Guardians were placed once more inside of the chamber with the leaders. Everything was quiet. Everything was calm. Taranee and the others were able to take a deep breath and relax, but only for a few seconds before a voice yelled, "She has them!"

Melissa jumped and looked back towards the door leading into the room. Elyon had arrived with a desperate look on her face with Caleb next to her. "My men have informed me of a figure in the east with shining stars on them. Will has all the Remnants. She just rifted out."

Hay-Lin turned to the oracle with a question on mind before he answered sadly, "I... I can't locate her." He used his hands to create a map of all the dimensions connected to the veil. Earth was directly in the center of what seemed to be a plur of planets. Maybe twenty. With his eyes on them, he waved his hand to rotate the display, slowly shaking his head. "I lost her. She's disconnected."

Aghast, Cornelia asked, "What do you mean she's _disconnected_?"

Halinor stood up from the side and explained, "It has only happened once wih Nerissa. With enough power, an entity is able to become invisible to us. We can't see or feel them anywhere in the veil or outside of it. She could be anywhere right now."

Taranee shook her head and muttered, "Ohh no no no no no, so we can't find her?!"

"Only if you run into her by chance." The entire hall, which seemed to have gotten more occupied then before erupted into chatter.

The noise began to turn into chaos before Melissa had enough. Taking a deep breath, she yelled, "Quiet!" All noise ceased at the snap of a finger, cutting all conversations. Stroking her face, she said, "Look, we're not looking at this correctly. Instead of searching for her we search for where she would go. Believe it or not, I know Will. Will is the type of person where if someone did her wrong, she would push it into their faces to prove her point. And if she gets something new she sort of... Brags about it." Hay-Lin shrugged and silently admitted that was a little true. "So knowing Will she would turn into every other villain and try to make a show out of what she's about to do."

Cornelia crossed her arms and asked, "Yeah, but what exactly is that?"

Melissa shrugged and answered, "Honestly, I'm not too sure. But it's not good, that's a no-brainer. We just need to know where Will's _headed_." They all turned their gazes to the display above them. Out of all the worlds, there was only one smack in the center where Will would more than likely go. A place she herself calls home:

Taranee gulped and muttered, "Earth. She's coming back with weapons of mass destruction."

Irma shook her head and stated, "There's no way she'll be able to hide them. We have to go. I'm pretty sure she's headed to Heatherfield." Hay-Lin immediately swiveled around and cut open a rift. Then the Guardians and January all flew straight through before it shut. Hoping they weren't too late.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

After Starfire cut open the rift on Meridian, she stepped out back into her famous alleyway back in Heatherfield. The one place they would never find her at.

All was noisy. It was only five in the evening right now, so rush hour. The air was warm and the afternoon sun was in the sky, warming her body and preparing to sunset. But today would be the sunset for everyone unfortunately.

Starfire raised her hands and looked them over. Her wrists were decorated with the sources of her power. Her keys to get what she wanted done. These Remnants combined with the others were what she needed to reign destruction upon the entire world. She just had to tap into its center. But first she didn't need heroes coming to the rescue.

Changing back, Will smoothed her long red hair before turning and beginning to make her way out of the alley into the mass of people. She needed someplace high to go to so she could watch the destruction reign. The tallest building in the city. Will sighed and stepped out into the sun's view to look around. Past all the cars and busy people, she trained her sights away from the honking cars to downtown. Sadly, the tallest building in the city was the same one her mom worked at.

TechCom. The more up-to-date building with glass walls and high ceilings. They were connected to everything. She would do it from there. Without delay Will turned and moved down the sidewalk, blending in with the crowd.

At least half a mile away the Guaradians, Caleb, January, Elyon, and Matt stepped out and looked around their environment. Back in the Silver Dragon's basement. Once the rift was closed, Hay-Lin ran over to a burgundy six level bookshelf and grabbed a rolled up poster. "Alright!" She yelled. Then approached and slammed the poster down on the table, unrolling it. It was evidently a colorful map of Heatherfield, complete with distance of height and updated buildings with notes. It spanned the entire table, nearly falling off the edge. Hay-Lin jabbed her finger at The Silver Dragon and said, "We're here, and Will could be anywhere."

Matt stood beside January and pointed to Will's home. "She can't be here, so we can scratch that off. Coming to the Silver Dragon is stupid. How about Sheffield?"

Taranee shook her head and answered, "That's too small. If Will wants a show she wants everyone to see it. And Sheffield is too small for that."

Irma straightened up from over the map and asked, "So how could Will get an audience to see and listen to her?"

While they were arguing, Melissa decided to pace in the background. Will is Starfire. Starfire is Will. Knowing them both, they needed someplace big, someplace that already gets way too much attention. Someplace that...

Melissa stopped pacing and looked to the small window near the ceiling. Eyeing the single blue spire that soared higher than any of the buildings in Heatherfield. A place that controlled everything in the city. And who's CEO wants to use to control all communications in the world.

Melissa whirled around and yelled, "TechCom!" The table stopped their bickering and focused on Melissa. She pointed to the window and yelled, "The TechCom building downtown is the hub for all communications. Phones, TV, Internet? Not to mention it's the tallest building in heatherfield with fifty floors. If she wants a stage, it's going to be there."

Irma nodded and looked to Hay-Lin. "She's heading there. We have to run. Now." Abandoning the map, they made their way for the staircase. "If we happen to get to her before we make it to TechCom, then we'll do whatever is necessary to stop her."

Once they were outside, they jetted down the sidewalk in fear and anxiety. Melissa asked, "What about our powers?"

"Whatever is necessary! We can't let her enact her plan!"

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Today was one of those skipping days. When you skip down the sidewalk ignoring the eyes of those judging you. Not many did. Apparently the emo-looking girl in a red dress with long red hair covering one half of her face had it going on. Golden items on her wrists and ankles, a grin on her face that only she knew what for.

If only _they_ knew what it was for. Will slowed inconspicuously to wait at the stop light with a few more pedestrians, giving The Guardians and the others ample time to catch up. But she didn't care. They couldn't stop her. No one can stop fate.

Wiggling her fingers, Will telepathically and unnoticeably floated a stick of gum into her hand from an office lady's purse. Then unwrapped and popped it into her mouth. Pineapple. One of her favorites. It made revenge taste so much sweeter.

Once the light changed, Will moved with the pedestrians down the sidewalk and into the city, smiling with narrowed eyes trained on TechCom. This was going to be a good day.

While Will calmly took her time, the Guardians had changed back and were now highfooting it for downtown. But with rush hour, they were in what Taranee compared as New York traffick. The most busiest of sidewalks. Their movement was slowed by casual walking pedestrians, tired from their hard day and silently cursing having to go back tomorrow. Some were even talking about their dreams of never having to go back because someone would be doing the job for them.

Brushing past a woman in a business suit, Taranee pinged, _"Yeah this isn't easy, girls."_

Irma scoffed and replied, _"What was your first clue?"_

 _"Focus,"_ Hay-Lin scolded. She was moving with January and Elyon second to ahead of the group. _"Hopefully we can catch her before she does any damage."_

Melissa huffed and puffed as she ran ahead of everyone else. She wasn't concerned about the others, they'll be fine. She was more concerned about the girl who stole her heart. The Girl with a burned face. The girl with a shattered heart attempting to restore her frame of mind.

A feeling. Melissa slowed down and glanced around. She wasn't sure but Will was nearby. She could feel it. Melissa stopped at a stoplight and pinged, _"She's near."_

Cornelia followed up behind her and looked around. They were at a busy wide four way hosting a total of eight lanes. It was big, wide, and busy. If Will was nearby, they'd have to look through the cars waiting. Hopefully she was close... There. Melissa nudged Cornelia and motioned with her head towards the crossing on the far opposite side. Yeah. Will was right there, glaring them down.

When they were close, Will's Quintessence Remnant brightened to a near blinding pink, telling her. She could feel the Guardians. They knew. Then she saw the one girl she didn't want to see right now. Beautiful. Sexy. Dammit, Melissa.

 _"I suggest you let me pass,"_ she surprisingly pinged. _"Lest you embarrass yourself in front of strangers. You don't want to do this here."_

Cornelia nudged past a few pedestrians and flanked Melissa's right while Taranee took her left. Spotting movement on her far left, Will saw Irma on the corner much closer while Hay-Lin took the one on the right. There may be more. Knowing Kandrakar, they had some help. And they may be behind her. She was surrounded.

Hay-Lin responded, _"You_ know _we can't do that, Will. This isn't the way."_

Melissa bumped in and said, _"There are other options, Will. But taking these frustrations out on these innocent people is unacceptable. I'm sorry you were burned by your friends and I wish that altercation had never happened. But making it worse is not helping heal these wounds."_

Will sighed and admitted, _"It's... Not about the altercation. These wounds... They never heal. And they only get greater. So I'm going to ask you one time only: Move. Aside. Or **everyone** here is going to see my power."_

The other Guardians clenched their fists and got into more discreet positions when the light turned red. Then Hay-Lin said the one word that started everything. _"No."_

Will blinked and directed her one eye to Melissa. _"I love you, Melissa."_ Then she made some type of movement before something was thrown into the air that flashed at its apex. All cars screeched to a stop and a few people yelped from the flash.

"I can't believe she's doing this here!" Taranee yelled. Melissa and the others got down while the light cleared. Giving them time to talk.

 _"Where is she?"_

 _"I don't know, just get ready!"_

 _"Guardians, unite!"_

Melissa stood with Cornelia and looked around while the others got their bearings. Once the air cleared and vision was restored, they finally saw who they were truly looking for. Taranee and her friends got in place while the other Guardians did as well.

In Will's place boldly standing outside of the crowd stood Starfire. And she did not look happy. Nonetheless in front of all these people anxiously texting their friends on their phones. Three cars had wrecked. But some had their eyes on Will. And Taranee, Melissa, Irma, Cornelia, and Hay-Lin.

Starfire eyed Melissa and yelled, "You're wearing my old outfit!"

Melissa clenched her fists and replied, "You can always take it back!"

Starfire shook her head and pinged, "Sorry. I like black too much. Those colors represent Kandrakar." Starfire slapped her hands together. "I'M NOT A FAN!" Then created an the letter O with her hands, took a deep breath, and blew fire straight out in the form of a huge flamethrower.

All without powers either got down screaming or ran away before Taranee jumped on top of a car and used her hands to block it from hitting the people behind her, thus panning out the flame in a large explosion of fire that reached everywhere but anyone innocent. She took a knee and looked over her shoulder to yell, "Don't just stand there, Grab her!"

Getting the picture, Hay-Lin emerged and created an electric lasso that she whipped towards Will. Surprisingly it grabbed her hands and ceased the flames, allowing Taranee to relax. Thus shifting the attention from her to Hay-Lin. Grunting, Will threw her arms to the right, pulling the lasso out of her hands while the fire spread. Then broke her wrists out of it before jumping high into the air. "Let's make this interesting," she whispered.

A few ways back, Elyon could see the chaos approaching from the people screaming and running past. It actually forced her to duck into an alley and flatten herself against a wall to avoid getting trampled while eyeing the damage. At one point a very large explosion forced her and Matt to duck down directly from across. Whatever was going on, Will was directly in the center of it. And she was mad. A few sirens screamed past before they slowed. Then just let it be everyone's luck that Officer Lair hopped out of one of them.

Elyon grunted and pinged, _"Irma, your dad's here! What's going on up there?"_

Ducking from a car tire thrown her way, Irma responded, _"Well apart from us trying to get to Will, she's trying to knock us off the map by somehow throwing everything around without moving with just her fingers."_ Irma ducked to the right into a nearby building when a dumpster started to fly past, flying straight into a car. Irma flinched and muttered, "Hopefully Car insurance covers dumpsters. What's happening on your end?"

With a majority of her attention trained on Will, Elyon eyed the single jumping dot that was January on a nearby rooftop, running straight for Will's floating form. "January's going to make a home run. But you have police coming your way with weapons. You have to get out of there."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm sort of pinned down right now." Irma used her foot to tap against the large truck blocking the entrance and windows to the store she was trapped in. She sighed and looked around. Good news? There was a back way. Bad news? It was blocked by a bunch of citizens taking cover and eyeing her like she was nuts. Seething, Irma awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck and asked, "So uhh... Do you mind if I scoot right past you?" They sort of all ran and jumped to the side to allow her access. They didn't want to know what she could do to them if one was already tossing around large trucks. "...thanks."

While Irma was having the time of her life, Will just watched in enjoyment as she casually threw things around with her fingers. Having power over air was truly wonderful. Before she was tackled from behind and flying back to the ground. January had snuck up on her, then used her staff to lunge herself straight into Will's back, sending them both flying down to the ground.

Taranee flinched when they landed on the remains of an abandoned car, blowing out its windows. Thankfully, the body of a Guardian was strong. And Will cushioned January's impact before she was flying off onto the ground. January rolled to a stop by Hay-Lin's feet while Will jumped right back up, glaring and practically growling at them before she was hit with a blast of water by a running Irma. She rolled onto the broken street and into a car before shooting a bolt of lightning straight for her.

Melissa used Air to push Irma to the side before it could hit, instead hitting a truck way behind her. Good news, It was a little ways back. Bad news, there was still shrapnel from the explosion that followed. The Guardians ducked down and Will teleported when it happened. The Police approaching ducked down behind cars while the shock wave blew out windows maybe two blocks away from the scene and forced anyone else listening to get down. Once the explosion cleared, Hay-Lin struggled to get the ringing out of her ears, but did peek over her hiding space to look around. Pretty much this whole area was trashed. All buildings with some type of damage. The fear before had doubled now when she realized Will wasn't holding back. She was pissed.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

As a computer girl, Susan Vandom's job was to sit at a computer and look things over primarily. But other aspects required her to go down to the lower levels and look things over. When the shock wave hit the tower, it made her grip her desk upstairs and look around in alarm. "What was that?" She asked.

"Something's going on downtown!" Someone yelled. Susan stood up from her cubicle and directed her sights towards the glass windows on the side everyone was approaching. Then followed immediately after to get a view for herself with Keitlyn and her husband. She wasn't aware of this before, but TechCom had some issues with co-worker relations. HR probably didn't care. Either way, her eyes were trained on the large plume of black cloud two blocks away.

Immediately pushing down the commotion, Susan pulled out her phone and dialed Will's phone number. She left earlier today with a book of some sort and Susan hadn't heard from her since. She's been doing good since Melissa's been around, so Susan decided to return Will her privacy and space. Now she was beginning to regret that decision. Especially since that explosion is literally right around the corner from The Silver Dragon, her known hangout spot with the other girls.

After a few seconds, the call was directed to Voice mail, forcing Susan to hang up the phone. She turned to Keitlyn who was in a similar situation beside her and asked, "Any luck?"

She pulled her phone back and shook her head. "I'm not getting anything. I'm sure her father's going to have the same issue."

At the location, all was calm and all was quiet. The first person to stand up was Will from atop the car she just landed on. A little painfully since she didn't get out completely unscathed. Something metallic had scratched past her leg, she could feel it. But that wouldn't matter after this. The region around her was destroyed. Black with smoke with the smell of fire. That was a really large explosion. She took a calming breath and directed her sights to the Guardians, struggling to get their own bearings back. Melissa was a little dizzy. Walking around and holding her head.

Will was tempted to go over and check on her out of love and care. But she remembered she was the enemy. She was with Kandrakar. She was aligned with the people who finished herself off. Will sighed and closed her eyes. Then tilted her head back and relished in the sound of nearby sirens and helicopters flying over. And ignoring the barking of the police behind her. She opened her eyes and trained them through the smoke on the one building that was her goal. TechCom. She had to get there.

Glancing back to the Guardians and ready to go another round, Will looked over her shoulder at January anxiously scrambling to fight again. Then jumped into the air, flared her wings and flew through the smoke for the one building that was more important than the rest.

Hay-Lin spotted her take off in horror. Then yelled, "She's going for the building!" Before taking off directly after.

Taranee turned to January and yelled, "We have to get these people out of that building!"

January nodded and responded, "Leave it to me and Elyon! Just stop her!" Taranee nodded then turned and zipped after her friends, soon soaring out of sight and leaving January with the police.

Taking a deep breath, January turned around with raised hands in a form of peace. "You have to listen to me!" She yelled.

Officer Lair approached with possibly ten more and ordered, "Get on the ground!"

"You have to evacuate TechCom!"

 **"I said get on the ground! NOW!"** Before any could make a move, Elyon dropped down in front of January and raised a shield, deflecting the bullets from the tense officers that just fired at her.

January smirked down at her and commented, "Hey there."

Elyon shot her own smile and greeted, "Hey. What's happening now?"

"Well she's soaring for TechCom. But we still have no idea what she's going to do except make destruction. So—" January was interrupted when a lightning bolt flared out from above and boomed overhead. Then a phenomenon that would knock science out of the park occurred. The air cracked. The space where the lightning hit cracked like someone threw a softball into a window. The police eyed it before another one was created. Then another.

Deciding play time was over, Elyon lowered her shield and yelled, "Who's in charge?!"

Officer Lair looked to her and asked, "I am, what's going on? What the hell is happening right now?!"

Elyon pointed towards TechCom and answered, "Long story short, a girl with a grudge and incredible power is going to locate herself on that building and destroy reality as you know it. Taking everyone and everything with it. Including herself. You have to have this place here evacuated as fast as possible but in a calm manner. That's where she's located." Another lightning bolt flared from above, creating another large black crack. Elyon grunted at it then directed her sights to TechCom. She could see the fighting going on from here around that building. But she had other plans to get everyone out safely.

Taking a breath Officer Lair asked, "Why should I trust you?"

January poked him in his chest and answered, "Because if you don't, everyone you know and love will die, along with billions of others, So I suggest you—lookout!" January grabbed and thew him to the side before following suit aft the sky above cracked apart, revealing the other side that was Merina. The piece that cracked off fell down towards the ground, soon crashing and blowing into nothing. It was as if someone just set off a bomb simply made of air and all it did was blow high winds that blew out a few more cars.

Once the area was clear, Elyon lowered her staff and the shield she put up. Slowly gawking in horror at what was happening. All over, lightning bolts were flailing out, breaking the air. Soon, Will wouldn't need to make any moves at all. The sky would simply fall on its own. Elyon with the police looked towards TechCom where they were flailing out from. Elyon turned towards Irma's father and grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him down to her level. " **GET THOSE PEOPLE OUT OF THERE NOW!** "


	21. Starfire's Takeover Part 2

**Starfire's Takeover Part 2**

After Will took off so did the rest of the city. All running from the lightning and thunder. A few flying objects were zipping all over the sky and had actually soared really close to the windows of TechCom. Their speed somehow shattered them, purging fear into those inside. A news anchor on one of the helicopters above couldn't believe their eyes. A group of five colorful flying objects flying after a black one shooting lightning, fire, and water at them. The helicopter couldn't get close, there was just too much action. And wind.

Anchorwoman Sean Macro was leaning partly outside the doors holding onto an overhead railing while her camerman was trying to get a good visual from close by. Soaring above TechCom and trying to get a good enough visual. Earlier when the calls started pouring in about a very destructive fight downtown, they didn't pay it any mind. Until an explosion rocked the station. The pilot, her cameraman, and herself were in the air with more news channels watching and relaying the action.

She held the mic up to her mouth and shook her head when a fireball soared right past, nearly hitting the rotors. "I can barely believe my eyes right now," she yelled. "Whatever these things are they're going straight for TechCom. The issue apparently is the black dot is going to do something with— ** _woah_**!" A lightning bolt soared right past and hit a spot beside the helicopter, cracking the air apart. But even though it looked impossible, it was very much real.

Especially since it made a clean cut of their tail. Sean screamed and ducked back inside before the helicopter started twirling out of control. She held onto the seat and struggled to buckle herself in while the pilot struggled to gain control. Alarms blared and lights flashed while their world twirled from right to left in an extremely fast motion.

The pilot looked over his shoulder and yelled, "I can't control it without the tail! We have to jump!"

Sean Immediately shook her head and yelled in her tiny voice are you crazy?!"

"Well it's that or **_blow up_**!"

Sean really did not feel like jumping from hundreds of feet in the air. But she went ahead and grabbed her parachute before the helicopter began to slow its twirling. And descent. Sean glanced around and asked, "Wh-What's happening? Did you control it?" She looked into the cockpit but the pilot was surprisingly not touching the controls. Actually he had his hands raised.

Sean and the cameraman glanced around before they looked outside. The fighting was still very much real. Just like the Girl directly in front of them. When Melissa heard a bunch of metal crash behind her, she knew something was hit. She just didn't expect it to be a tail-end of a helicopter. Then the helicopter itself was about to join it. While Irma tackled Will down onto TechCom's rooftop, she abandoned post to go save it and those inside.

Using air, she shot at it from multiple angles while streaming a jet to directly underneath it, supporting its weight. It was difficult. But she could do this. She looked into the cabin and yelled, "Don't jump out! Stay put!"

The anchorwoman's mind was probably broken but she dumbly nodded while Melissa directed the helicopter to a good nearby landing spot. Pretty much all traffic below had stopped while fireballs and such from TechCom that Starfire missed crashed into buildings and vehicles, giving a good space for Melissa to direct it.

The pilot yelled, "Chopper Nine to station, she's laying us down at the intersection of Donald and Ross!"

No vehicles were in the way and all were inside when it did. It soared low over the other buildings before ceasing forward progression. Then Melissa let it slowly drop down onto the concrete. The pilot shut down the rotors and collapsed into his seat before his door was pulled open. Melissa pointed to the road and ordered, "Let's go, move it!"

He quickly hopped out with the Anchorwoman when a bolt boomed overhead with a darkening cloud. Melissa grabbed her arm and tugged her and the ditzy pilot to a nearby building, despite all the action soaring through the air around them. One of the bolts crashed through a glass building up ahead. Once Melissa reached a certain building—a bank, Melissa threw the door open and pushed them in with everyone else. "Stay inside!" She ordered. "Don't you dare leave this building!"

Then closed the door and buzzed back into the air, despite everything happening around her. Sean watched her go with envy. She looked really young, literally flying into flames. The cameraman bumped into her thoughts by literally positioning the camera's playback into her line of sight. Sometime while they were being escorted he managed to take a bunch of pictures of the event _and_ her. They were pretty spot on.

She looked to be an elf with wings. Well probably not an elf, but her clothes definitely gave off that image. She was maybe six feet tall, around her own height with small wings on her back. Long black hair with... Lip gloss? He even managed to get one with her flying back into the action.

Sean repeatedly slapped his back proudly. There's no way in a million years would she have gotten photos like this. "Great job," she whispered.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

While the Guardians were fighting above, Elyon, January, and the police were getting everyone out below. They could tell things were beginning to escalate. Mainly because a huge plume of fire shot out from the tippy-top of TechCom half a block away and a high velocity static buzzed through the air, ruffling hair and clothes. Elyon grimaced in the thought that someone was caught in the crossfire. Dammit, Will.

Officer Lair got on the radio and yelled, "Is anyone evacuating TechCom? Where the hell is the National Guard?!"

 _"The Guard is on their way. Proceed with caution."_

Officer Lair stopped his movement when Elyon did since she was the one leading this show. He had no idea who this girl was, but she seemed to know what was going on. Same for the teenage girl with her. She looked into an alley and waved her hand, beckoning out a young man maybe in his early twenties. "Queen Elyon!" He yelled.

She pointed to the officers and stated, "They need to evacuate TechCom. Help them work."

He nodded before she jumped into the air and started flying towards the top. Officer Lair knew he was taking on a soldier's job right now. But that didn't matter. He motioned towards the building and yelled, "Get those people out of there now!"

While the chaos below was happening, Will believed that now was the time to start wrapping things up. Ducking a hit from Taranee, she grabbed her arm and threw her over and behind. Then kicked the knee of Cornelia who followed shortly. Spotting movement from her right, she compressed the moisture in the air and knocked Hay-Lin back into Irma with a pillar of water, flinging them both off the roof into Elyon. She unfortunately popped in at the wrong time and got a face full of Irma's back.

Growling, Will hunkered down and began to glow. The air around her began to thicken, ruffling hair and shifting objects while all of TechCom's employees were escorted out. Susan, Keitlyn, and Samuel happened to look up when a bright blue sphere shrunk down from around them on Will's body. Then exploded like a ball of blue air with a bassy sound and vibrations. Save for Melissa who hid behind a chimney, all the Guardians and Queen Elyon were flung screaming out of place and back towards the ground. Irma had the unfortunate opportunity to meet a car with her back while Cornelia and Taranee flew through glass windows. Elyon righted herself, but did tumble through a store's windows.

Gasping, Melissa shot down and slid through the destruction to get to Hay-Lin since she was the closest. " _Anyone, talk to me!"_ She pinged loudly. Silently cursing when she got no response. Hay-Lin pushed herself up painfully on her hands and knees before Melissa helped her stand. Then walked with her over to an alley. Shaking her head, Hay-Lin said, "We... Can't fight her... This way. She's too strong."

Melissa helped her sit down then peeked back out of the alley to the top of the building. Lightning was just zipping around everywhere, creating cracks in the veil and revealing parts of another world. Melissa swore she saw Kandrakar.

She shook her head and repeated, "We... _Can't_ fight her... We can't fight her, of course!"

She ran back into the alley and gripped Hay-Lin's shoulders. She was tired. About ready to sleep. Gently shaking her awake, Melissa said, "We can't fight her, we have to talk to her."

"... what?"

"Most of Will's altercations weren't calmed by force. They couldn't fight her. So they used words instead!"

Hay-Lin blinked at her for a moment. Then grunted and got back to her feet. She limped into the alley's entrance and looked to TechCom with blurry vision. The sky was beginning to grow dark and everything was getting really scary now. The wind was picking up speed and tossing everything around like a Hurricane hit while more cracks appeared, creating black clouds that corrupted the air.

Hay-Lin could see Will clearly throwing lightning to the sky, cracking the veil. Very much in anger. She gulped and nodded. "Please... Be careful, Melissa."

Hay-Lin's knees buckled, urging Melissa to set her down. "I will. If anyone asks for your name, it's Quinty." After a confirming nod, Melissa ran forward and flew over everyone for the storm of destruction reigning high in the air. Hay-Lin could only watch at the moment. Hoping and silently praying that she could get Will to stop. Because if she didn't everything would go down. The last thing Hay-Lin saw before her vision got blurry were two faces. Then a pair of hands pulled her to her feet before she blacked out.

W~I~T~C~H

The wind was beginning to pick up, forcing Starfire's long black hair to fly all on its own. Unfortunately it revealed the burned half of her face to anyone who could see what was going on down below. She stood on the edge of TechCom's roof, looking down at the destroyed ground, and the falling sky. There goes Merina on the right. And Kandrakar in all of its blue glory. Once the Veil was cracked enough, it would break apart on its own. Then everything would collide. But it had to start from here. Or else she wouldn't be able to see it.

Will merely blinked at it. Then sighed and looked at everything else still standing. A lot of people were running around like ants, below her feet, all trying to find cover. Not many could see her. Except the people trying to take her down in a last ditch effort. It would all be for naught.

Movement behind her. Will swiveled around and pushed a flaming hand up to the face of... Melissa. How did she sneak up on her? Well it wouldn't matter. Will looked into her eyes while Melissa stared into hers in sadness. Slowly and tentatively, Melissa reached out and softly touched Will's face. "Is this what you wanted?" She asked.

Will sighed. Then cooled and lowered her hand. She calmly walked back to the ledge and looked at everything. "You don't understand, Melissa," she answered. "None of you understand."

"Then help me understand." Melissa followed up and stood on the ledge next to her. She followed her sights to the ground of running citizens. And the National Guard arriving in Humvees. Took them long enough. It's been nearly an hour and they're now just arriving. A few helicopters were flying past, but it wouldn't matter if Melissa couldn't get Will down. If she could freeze lightning, she could freeze a bullet. Melissa reached down and slipped her hand into Will's. Will looked down at their entwined fingers then back up to Melissa's smiling face. "Help me understand."

Will sighed and looked out at the environment. But she didn't remove her hand. "You ever feel that you're worth something... Only for it to get dashed when another person comes along? Like everything you have ever done was meaningless. I felt that way in Fadden Hills. Then again here in Heatherfield. Everything I ever did was never good enough. All that I _did_ do was worthless to the cause. I.. I never won. I never had a solid victory with just myself. I was never recognized in honesty for my spectacular moves. My motives, my creativity, all of me was... Worthless compared to the next person. I was called the cry baby back at my old school because... I always did. I cried in the bathroom wondering why did he barely do anything but get first place while I did everything and got fourth. It never made any sense. It happened over, and over, and over. Until eventually I had enough. I guess I was jealous, but I got in fights because they got attention and I got nothing, backing up my nickname. Mom and Dad began to notice and were getting a little concerned. But they sort of fell in the picture. Before any of this, mom didn't pay that much attention to me in school or... Anywhere else. It was always about dad and living it up. 'Will's fine, she can handle herself.' Will's mind shattered before her eyes and gave birth to a girl with out of control emotions, intense anger, and..."

Will sighed and looked out to the air. Then raised her hand and sliced it to the right, flinging a National Guard helicopter out of the way from attempting to breach the dark clouds shielding them off from view. Melissa bit her lip and said, "Will..." She reached out and stroked her black hair to calm her down. "I understand where you're coming from. Growing up in New Jersey wasn't easy. I was one of those girls that thought she could have the world in the palm of her hand and make it do what she wanted. Seriously. Over there, I'm considered sexy." Will snorted and stroked her hair. "But in real life, looks don't get you everywhere. The term knowledge is power speaks true. The smarter you are, the further you get in where you get in life. Without, you're forever stuck until you advance your knowledge." Melissa took a deep breath and huffed it out with, "So!... I stole knowledge."

Will raised her left eyebrow and repeated, "Stole knowledge?"

Melissa nodded and clarified, "Yeah... I was a bully. I made people do my work for me and up my grade so I could get what I wanted. I never knew this until recently but... Looks could kill." Melissa smirked at Will and winked, rotting her implication. Will scoffed and playfully slapped her shoulder.

Melissa smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek. Will was getting a little better. Time for the home run. She pulled back slightly and said, "But you know what I learned sometime after that?"

Will sighed and turned to her. She had a feeling she knew where this was going but decided to humor herself. "What was that?" She asked. Then grabbed Melissa and pulled her out of the way before a tire came flying through. Melissa and Will watched it sail over to the other side then looked at each other again.

Melissa grabbed Will's other hand and grazed her thumb over her fingers. "Well for starters," she whispered. Then pointed out to the air. "Those people out there? They don't matter. Screw them. Their silly and ridiculous. Who knew that you have to get a high school diploma to simply work at McDonalds?"

Will was surprised to say the least. She was expecting something cheesy like, "It only matters what you think." Not, "Screw Mcdonalds."

Melissa pointed to the air out there and said, "Those people out there? They knock you down even when your back is turned and in front of your face too. They did it to me, they did it to Cornelia, they did it to Irma, they did it to your mom, your dad, and soon your little brother. They don't care, they just want to turn into me and you. They want to get you to break and make a mistake. So they can finally relish in your discomfort and embarrassment. Yes, you may not have been noticed in the past. But you caught _my_ eye. You caught the eye of a power stronger than anyone else on this planet and other worlds, and you still are. You finally caught the eye of your mother and your father. Look down there, come here." Melissa pulled Will over to the ledge and pointed down to the ground. She could make out Cornelia's shiny blonde hair with Taranee helping people get out of buildings and behind a barricade that the National Guard has setup in the distance. Irma was with Elyon, January, and Matt removing damaged items from things. Where was Hay-Lin? Melissa turned to Will and said, "Those girls down there? They fucking love you!"

Will followed her sights to her old friends while Melissa continued. "They never gave up on you even when things looked dark. We went through your past timeline and looked at everything to get a good reading on you figure out how to approach you. As much as I wanted to help you when you cut your wrist, I knew I was a few years too late. But I'm content that you survived to even talk to me right now. Yes, you were burned but guess what? I love you regardless no matter what you look like. And so does everyone else."

Will blinked away her tears and tried to cover that side of her face before Melissa grabbed her wrist. "Don't block it," she ordered. "I love it because it's still you. Burned or not you're still beautiful to me and everyone else who knows and loves you. You say you're no longer a guardian, right?" Will nodded her head. "Well that doesn't mean you have to stop protecting those you love. Just because they took your memories by force doesn't make you any less of a hero. You still defeated all of those nasty villains and can still be that hero when you're needed to be. Just not all the time, maybe a phone call away. You're still amazing and have such a beautiful heart. Don't throw it all away because of what that trash thinks of you now and what you think they make you out to be because I can tell you right now that you are one amazing chick. Thus the reason I am never leaving you. I made a promise when we first met to never hurt you. And I'm keeping that promise, just like how you keep all this stuff flying around from hitting me. I know you still love me and I still love you. Don't throw this love away, baby."

Melissa grabbed Will by the hips and pulled her in. Then planted the most loving kiss on her lips. Instinctively, Will wrapped her arms around Melissa's neck and deepened it with tears leaking. Melissa couldn't have said it any better. The way she held her backed up her words that she loved her. And that she was making a terrible mistake. Even though some people may be disappointed in her, she was still loved at the end of the day. And that was all that mattered.

Will pulled back and stared into Melissa's eyes with a wobbly bottom lip formed into a smile. Shaking her head, she whispered, "What did I do to deserve someone like you?"

Melissa pecked her forehead and asked, "You lost your memories and I knocked on your front door. Fate couldn't have brought us closer. I love you, Wilhelmina."

"I love you too, Melissa." They sealed it with one last kiss, ignoring the whistling wind around them combined with the sound of helicopters and crashing down below. The sirens were becoming more frequent though. Will pulled back and placed her hands on Melissa's chest. "But what happens after this? I mean... Look at what I did."

Melissa and Will looked around them at the dark skies with holes in them. The destruction and pain filled cries below. The sirens and National Guard barking orders from a building across. Melissa sighed and wrapped her arms around Will. "Well I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You're in a deep dish. A lot of destruction. Not to mention Metamoor is pretty much crap right now. But I can tell you one thing." Melissa pecked her lips and whispered, "You're not going to be alone. I'm not letting you do anything out there alone. If they're taking you to prison for life or something, I'm going too."

Will grinned and whispered, "You'd really do that for me?"

"Of course I would, I freaking love you." Melissa removed her hands from around Will's waist and entwined their fingers again. "It would be really boring without watching my favorite redhead skip around."

Will rolled her eyes and instinctively brushed her hair to the side. Even though her burn and blind eye were on full display, she didn't really care anymore. As long as Melissa said she was beautiful, it didn't matter what anyone else said. Will leaned into Melissa's chest and whispered, "Thank you."

Melissa kissed her forehead and smelled her hair. Smelled like Will. She could get used to this. "You're welcome." After a few seconds, they pulled back and looked around. "Now. What are we going to do about this storm?"

"Well... I gotta stop it, that's what. Step back." Will walked towards the ledge and took a deep breath. Then parted her legs and raised her hands shining with the Remnants of the Aurameres. Time to end this the right way.


	22. On The Road To Redemption

**On The Road To Redemption**

The chaos in Heatherfield had gone nationwide. All TV stations were interrupted with the visuals of the disaster. Only a few were wounded, but no casualties surprisingly. The entire city was being escorted out to a different area of the city less affected by the National Guard. Unfortunately, their helicopters couldn't get into where they were needed because of the high winds but reports had arrived on their desks that it wasn't just an unnatural phenomenon. It was being made by what was believed to be a young girl.

On the outskirts of the city, well past the beach and anything else dangerous was where the Army and National Guard had set up to supply relief efforts. Near a warehouse district. A majority of the buildings were standing, but you try not to be in the midst of a bunch of explosions of the massive variety.

While the citizens were recuperating, the captains were hunkered over the back of a truck looking at a printed off map of Heatherfield discussing their next course of action. Even dealing with Hurricanes and Tornado relief, never would Lieutenant Smit have thought this to be a relief effort that spelled so much potential disaster. Even from miles away his light brown eyes could make out all of the lightning and highwinds tearing apart the city.

Vehicles were arriving by the scores, quickly evacuating with whoever they could grab. Four of them, a woman with deep blue hair with her husband sporting one of the blandest of mustaches, and another one with long straight black hair with a way more than able bodied husband were asking around if they had seen two girls that matched their own descriptions. Well except the blue haired one. She was replacing her hair with long deep red hair. As well as a few more people. Some haven't made it out yet, mostly children. But there was still a few more things they needed settled. Like the main question:

 _What the hell is happening?!_ Lieutenant Smit reached up to his radio and pressed a button. "Lieutenant Smit to Alpha crew, where are you?" He asked. Then released the button and waited for a response.

 _"Alpha Crew to Lieutenant,"_ A soldier responded. " _We found something on the corner by TechCom. We're packing it up and taking it back there."_

"Ten-four. Keep your eyes open for any stragglers. What's the status of the situation?"

 _"It hasn't changed. We're doing what we can to get people out first. But this package is really important. We think she may be a key to what's happening."_

She? "What the hell are you talking about, Captain?"

 _"We found one of those girls flying around knocked out. We're taking her back to the base. She's deep under. Didn't even shuffle when we picked her up."_

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

The situation was getting serious. The police were working with the Guardians even though they had no idea who they were. Since no one could get in contact with Hay-Lin, they turned to Taranee who said they should just get everyone out. Last she saw, Melissa had flown up there to speak with Will. Maybe that would work better than anything else. Elyon was with them on the ground, working as fast as they could to evacuate the tall building. Waving their arms out, Cornelia and Irma guided all the people out and directed them towards the line of police officers while the National Guard got close, and Taranee stayed with Elyon watching out for flying debris. The Guard and Army were watching them, but weren't really doing anything. Just watching. Cornelia glanced their way then looked to Irma. "Have you heard from Hay-Lin?"

She shook her head and answered, "No, and I'm worried about that. No one has seen her. Can we get in contact with the Oracle?"

Cornelia shook her head and answered, "We can't abandon right now. We need to get these people out of here before something happens."

 _"Hey, girls."_ That was the last voice they expected to hear going through their minds. All the Guardians stopped what they were doing and looked to the sky. Even Taranee stopped speaking with the police and shifted her sights to the top of TechCom. Elyon and January followed her gaze, followed by Officer Lair.

Taranee responded, _"Uhh... Hey, Will. How are you feeling?"_

 _"I feel like crap right now, but I need you to listen close. Get all these people to take cover, I'm about to rebuild the veil. If they're not inside, then they're going up."_

"What?!" Taranee yelled. Then groaned and turned to Elyon. "I guess Air got to her. She's about to reverse everything... I think. That's what it sounded like."

Elyon and January both asked, "So what do we do?"

"Now we have to get everyone back _inside_. Because she said everything is going up to the air now. And if they're out here then they are too."

Officer Lair asked, "Wait, now everyone has to get inside now?"

Taranee turned to him and answered, "Or fly thousands of feet into the air. It's your call. Unless you want Starfire to have thousands of people die trying to rebuild the Veil, it's best you do it."

Officer Lair stroked his face and groaned. These girls and their powers. Did all females have powers these days? He reached up to his radio and relayed, "Captain Lair to all units. Get these people into some buildings, something's about to happen. Forward it to the national Guard."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

When Lieutenant Smit got the message, the trucks holding "The Package" also arrived. Three of them all had soldiers but only one had the girl. They slowly rolled past everything and turned onto a different street, heading to the medical area they had put together much earlier. Just a bunch of tents with red crosses. A few people were already held inside, but not many. The damage of Heatherfield hadn't begun until pretty much everyone was half a mile away.

Smit adjusted his pants and stomped over to the truck in the middle while they parked. Then the back door was thrust open by one out of two of the soldiers inside.

While they hopped out, Smit trained his eyes on the older looking Asian woman lying on the stretcher inside. Hay-Lin was out cold. Sleeping peacefully with a possible headache. She had put in her all up there trying to take down Will but she was too strong and too fast. She hit her head on the ground and had a hard time telling left from right. Then passed out on the sidewalk.

Smit motioned for them to pull her out. Once they had a good grip on the stretcher, they carefully moved her out into the atmosphere and carried her to the nearest empty medical tent. Three more soldiers occupied them with guns. Nobody knew who the enemy was here. No one. Worst part was they couldn't get close enough to find out. But they were determined to find out.

Once the tent was zipped up, Smit faced her and lightly shook her shoulder. "Hey, wake up," he ordered.

Hay-Lin let off a tiny mew and rolled her head to the opposite side of him. Smit rolled his eyes and lightly slapped her hand. "Wake up, we don't have time for you to sleep."

Hay-Lin groaned and cracked her eyes open, landing them on the soldier across from her. Wait, a soldier? She moved her legs and pulled herself up to a sitting position. Her head felt bad. The world's biggest headache was threatening to split her head open. "Hey, girl!"

Hay-Lin's eyes popped open and shifted them to the right into the face of... Aw crap, a military guy. Captain, General, whatever. A look around told her she was somewhere else. Somewhere silent and not good. Smit poked into her sight and snapped his fingers. "Hey. Focus on me. What the hell's going on out there?"

Deciding to make this easy, Hay-Lin groaned and answered tiredly, "We're keeping your world from colliding into another by knocking out the person responsible. But she's really strong. She can stop lightning without touching it, play with fire as if it were water, and churn the ground as if she was mixing water."

One of the soldiers behind her lowered their gun and asked, "Okay, who even are you?"

Hay-Lin faced him and answered, "I am the Guardian of Quintessence."

"What's your _name?_ "

"Quinty."

Smit stroked his face and asked, "It's obvious you know what's going on, so can you tell us so we're on the same page?"

"A girl with a vision of a different reality is going to destroy your reality to make hers come true. Pretty basic stuff."

Smit commented, "Yeah, you talk pretty good English for a person from another world."

"That's because I'm from Earth."

Smit and another soldier shared a glance then focused back. "Alright, so here's the deal: We'll work with you in exchange that you tell us what's been going on underneath our noses."

Hay-Lin shook her head and responded, "Sorry, not my call. I just follow orders and stop the bad guys from going all out of their minds trying to destroy everything."

"I really can't _stand_ this Final Fantasy shit—Look! We'll help you defeat whoever this is and we'll let you go."

Hay-Lin blinked then narrowed her eyes at him and repeated, "Let me go? Are you... Holding me hostage?"

Smit made a small motion with his hand towards a guard behind Hay-Lin. Then answered, "You and your friends are responsible for millions in damages. Not to mention flying all over the place with things we've never seen before. We just can't let you walk around with fireballs coming out of your mouths."

Hay-Lin was about to respond before something sharp shot into the back of her neck. She yelped and reached back to yank it out. A purple dart. Smit sighed and stated, "We're sorry, but we need information."

Hay-Lin looked up aghast and yelled, "I gave you what you wanted! Are you insane, do you know what's going to happen?!" Hay-Lin pulled her arm back, about to lash out at him before something knocked into the side of her head, stunning her.

After she slumped back down to the stretcher, Lieutenant Smit sighed and ordered, "Make sure she doesn't leave or move. I have to make a phone call." Then turned and made his way out of the tent. As a soldier of the US, his job was to protect. And she held information on how to do that.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Starfire's destruction was still reigning true all around the city, making it a little difficult to get people indoors. But they did actually get people inside. A lot of power outages, Taranee was surprised a fire hadn't started anywhere save for that explosion that started off the chaos in the first place. The building they were in now was probably a small storefront just starting off. But everything was pretty much trashed and probably stolen. It did look like the end of the world out there.

Once the door was shut, Taranee got down behind it with the others and listened into their mind link. _"Okay, we're in. Waiting for a word."_

Will responded, _"I still see people on Fourth Street."_

Cornelia turned around and told Officer Lair, "There's still people on Fourth Street."

While officer Lair made some adjustments, Taranee pinged, _"We can't find Hay-Lin. Have you seen her?"_

Melissa peeked over the edge where she and Will were situated to where she set Hay-Lin, now vacant. She shook her head and responded, _"I don't see her. I left her on the corner of sixth and eighth. I thought you guys grabbed her."_

 _"No, she hasn't been answering any messages and we can't find her."_

Will groaned and looked around. Apart from all the destruction, Heatherfield was still standing. Not much had broken down except windows, exploding cars, fire hydrants, and that's it. If Hay-Lin was out there, she may be seriously hurt.

Will sighed and tuned in. _"Look, we'll look for her the moment all is calm... While also trying to avoid the Military guys sticking around... Dammit."_

Cornelia commented, _"You really messed up, Will. But we're not leaving you behind. We stick together."_

Melissa and Will shared a smile before she responded, _"Yeah... My love told me that. What's the status on all the streets? I don't see anything but I could have missed something."_

Cornelia looked over her shoulder to Officer Lair who gave her the thumbs up. _"You're clear."_

Will nodded and got back into her position. Then closed her eyes and focused. The remnants on her body shined bright, like tiny stars of hope through the haze of despair. The howling wind outside the doors ceased blowing almost immediately. The flames from burning cars, buildings, and others were blown away. Water bursting from fire hydrants immediately fell back intoto the ground.

Waving her body around, Will used her power over air to blow the haze out of existence, leaving the sun to hit the concrete street below. It looked nice right now. But she had to patch up those giant rifts to the other worlds. She put her hands out to the side and slowly raised them, summoning air silently. Small particles from the Veil that shattered and spread on the ground were immediately put back together and flying back into the air, placing themselves into the holes. All over, blue lights shot into the sky, repairing it as fast as it happened.

The backup zone just looked to the sky, entranced by the mere light. It took maybe six minutes, but eventually the sky was once again dark blue with absolutely no holes. Just beautiful cloudless evening sky. _"It's clear,"_ Will confirmed. Then sat down on the ledge and looked around before she ducked back when a gunshot rang out. A bullet hit the space she was just at.

Melissa grabbed her arm and pulled her up to her feet while a National Guard helicopter passed overhead, firing at them from above. Using her hand, Will sliced open a red rift and flew through with Melissa. The man firing from the chopper relayed, "They passed through a red line! I lost them!"

Will and Melissa flew through into her favorite alley before she anxiouslyshut the rift. Then buckled down and took a deep breath while Will pinged, _"Girls, where are you?"_

Taranee and the others looked around at all the destruction after they gave the clear. The street looked like Michael Bay wanted Transformers to happen in real life. Well that's what Irma said. Cornelia replied, _"We're in front of the downtown library. Where are you?"_

 _"In an alley between an ice cream shoppe and another restaurant."_

 _"How descriptive."_

 _"Run! Run now and fast!"_

Before Cornelia could question it, Taranee pushed them all into an alley when the National Guard came around a nearby corner with guns looking around. Taranee pinged, _"Meet us at the Silver Dragon! Then we'll search for Hay-Lin and scold you afterwards!"_

" _Sounds_ _like a plan!"_ Will created another rift and jumped through with Melissa back into their basement. It looked like this was the only place unaffected by the Hurricane of the year. Everything was still standing and pretty. Starfire changed back into Will at the tap of her pendant, But Melissa was still... Wearing her uniform. Melissa looked down to Will awkwardly while she in turn looked up to her.

Will bit her lip and slowly shook her head. "You're so hot," she whispered.

Melissa scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Not the time, sweetness."

"I know, I know, but... Jeez you're wearing **_my_** old outfit, it's... It looks good on you."

The door above kicked open, urging them to get into defensive positions before Cornelia ran down the stairs with the rest of them, allowing them to relax. Once they were in and the door was shut and locked tight, they all calmly gained their strength back by taking deep breaths and allowed Will to see how bad she messed them up.

Irma was sporting the biggest shiner ever, Cornelia's precious hair was all over the place, Taranee's glasses had a slight bend to them, and Melissa was still hot. Will mentally scolded herself before they rose back up and just stared at her. Then everything sort of got quiet.

Melissa sighed and said, "Look we can all scold Will later in Kandrakar but we have a big problem on our hands. Hay-Lin is missing. So let's push Will to the side for a moment..." Melissa calmly grabbed Will's shoulders and repositioned her to the table. "And focus on what happened."

Will hummed and suggested, "Well I know I blew all of you like miles back and gave you some significant damage—"

"Yeah, my back hurts," Taranee muttered.

"—but I didn't see where you landed. Sort of busy trying to... Destroy everything." Will seethed and rubbed her neck, avoiding their disapproving gazes. At least it wasn't murderous.

Cornelia sighed and looked out the little window to the outside world. A bunch of yelling was happening out there. Forcing her to raise her hand and create a bunch of vines to block it off. Finally able to focus she said, "Look, we just need to figure out what happened. Can't we get in contact with Kandrakar?"

Taranee shook her head and answered, "Not that I know of. We have no direct line to hear Kandrakar and the fastest way to get there is by portal. And Hay-Lin is the only one who can open a rift _or_ a portal. So until we find her... We're stuck this way."

Melissa smirked at Will busy squinting her eyes and shaking her head. Deciding to help her out, Melissa cleared her throat to get their attention. Then motioned with her head towards Will, who motioned to the Remnant of Quintessence on her neck. "Seriously? I know you guys have been tracking my movements each time I open a rift. Just how did you think I got to Kandrakar, bought a plan ticket?"

Deciding to ignore their answers, Will sliced open a rift with her hand and motioned towards it. Irma pointed at the red line and asked, "What's on the other side, Will?"

Will dropped her hand and rolled her eyes. "Come on, I know I was going to... Well..."

"Kill everyone," Irma deadpanned.

"Yes, kill everyone. But come on, where else is this rift going to go?"

Cornelia sighed and said, "We'll go if you go first."

"Fine!" Will turned and jumped straight through. Leaving the girls behind with Melissa.

She shot a glare at them with a growl and said, "You guys need to ease up. Yes, Will caused a lot of damage but you weren't up there when she finally confessed as to why. Don't make her turn back to her destructive ways. This was already deadly enough." Then turned and jumped through with the other girls.

They landed once again on the sunny peaceful side of the universe that was Kandrakar. Still so quiet that it was creepy and void of any noise. It was starting to hurt their heads.

Will was waiting for them by the steps, watching with a nonchalant and untrustworthy expression. Even though she had stolen items on her body and a burned face, she still looked good. The gold glinted when the sun hit the bangles on her wrists, ankles and neckline. She pointed towards the fortress and said, "Come on, let's just get my sentencing over with so we can get to finding Hay-Lin."

Even though Taranee and the others were hesitant they went ahead and followed after Will. The walk there was quiet, letting everything that just happened settle in their minds. By the time they reached the bridge, Irma decided to ask the one question that was on hers.

She speed walked up to Will and asked, "Just because this is killing me... Where did you learn how to fight like that? Seriously, I'm hurting right now."

Will stopped and turned to face her curious expression with a sad one. "I'm pretty sure you know my dad had a lot of money. He spent it on a lot of things on the luxurious side of life. Well while mom was trying to figure out what was wrong with me and why I was acting out, you guys don't know much about my dad. He decided to enroll me in some fighting classes like Taekwondo, Jujitsu, Karate, and Aikido to get all the anger out. I mastered all of them and things still didn't change."

After she dropped that bomb, Will boldly walked away from their shell shocked faces and made moves for the door before Melissa ran after her. "You know Aikido?!" She asked. "Oh Wait! Taranee, take her left. Don't worry about this."

Before Will could ask what they were talking about, Melissa and Taranee looped their arms through Will's and held tight, holding her in a "Prisoner position." Will merely sighed and allowed them to have their fun while it lasted. Everyone knew it was pretty pointless to keep her in a cage while she had the remnants. And she was forever stuck with them.

Once they had a good grip, Irma and Cornelia walked forward and pushed the door open. Then Melissa and Taranee led Will inside. Surprisingly, everyone was in there. Even Mariho who had the largest of all ice packs on her head next to January. Wait, where did _she_ even come from? Wasn't she with the Guardians earlier? It didn't matter.

Will allowed herself to be pulled along through the line of rulers, law enforcement, and anyone else towards the angry gazes of the heads of Kandrakar. Yan-Lin wasn't around but she had a feeling she was just as disappointed. Will grit her teeth together in an effort to ditract herself from reality.

They stopped her a few feet away from the stands before the doors shut, basking the place in silence. No one spoke for a few long seconds, leaving everything as tense as it really was. Even though she was good as guilty, Will kept a brave face and locked eyes with Himerish. Halinor had to admit... She was a strong one.

Himerish decided to sigh and break the tense air with, "Will Vandom, _former_ Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Will was really tempted to just yell. Melissa could easily tell that based off how red Will's face was getting. So she did the one thing she knew to calm her down. Releasing her and stroking her hair. It seemed to do the trick like always. Will took a few deep breaths and came back to reality before Melissa took her arm again. Then answered, "I apologize. For how I reacted to the situation and nearly caused the demise of not only Kandrakar but their allies and worlds. I realize now that it was not the right way to go and I am ashamed for realizing this a little too late."

Luba grunted from the far right, but Will wasn't really worried about her. Compared to herself, she was weak. And a little stupid. Halinor stood up and said, "As much as it would pain everyone else to let you go, there is not much we can really do except cut off your hands and feet to rid of the Remnants. But even then, you still have Quintessence on your neck. And we will not kill you. So Kandrakar has decided to place your future into the hands of the Guardians and allow them to decide what to do with you."

 _"Hurray,"_ Will pinged to Melissa in the most blandest tone she could manage. She rolled her eyes and shook her head in her direction. Leave it to Will to make things seem so lame and pointless. "Er... Thank you," Will responded. She honestly had no idea how to respond to that. Let alone anything else here. But she had a good idea how to start. "May I speak freely?"

Himerish nodded at her, giving her that opportunity. "Yeah, so even though I destroyed Meridian... Pretty much, I am able to help rebuild it. But I think we should worry about Hay-Lin first."

At the mention of her name, they looked around and for the first time noticed she wasn't present. Himerish turned to Taranee and repeated, "Hay-Lin?"

"Missing," she declared. "While we were working on disabling Starfire, we lost track of her and lost all communications. We can't track her either."

Himerish stood up and said, "You must look everywhere. Find her as fast as possible, we can't risk having the humans know about the cause to this fight."

Will raised her hand in Melissa's grasp and raised it high. "Yeah, so I uhh... Whoa this is awkward, so the only thing I can actually think of if she isn't found is that she may be nabbed by the.. National Guard, the Army, or the Police. That's all I have right now."

Taranee nodded and said, "The only way to know for sure is if we can track her. We need to find her first."

Will groaned and coalesced, "Alright, alright! Let's get to her! And can you guys let go, I'm sure you know this is pointless." Melissa shrugged and did release her with Taranee. "Thanks. Now if I know our national defense like I do, they're set up out of town. We go there, we find Hay-Lin."

Irma walked forward and asked, "How can we be for sure that they took her?"

Will reached up to her Remnant and tapped it, morphing back into the darkest version of the Guardians. She adjusted her skirt and answered, "Oh they did. I'll take us to outside of their defensive line and ping you on what to do. Once we're on the other side, put me in handcuffs. Or whatever you can find. Then repeat what I tell you."

Mariho crossed her arms and asked, "Now why should we trust _you_ out of all people?"

Starfire looked over her shoulder and snarled, "Because I don't see or hear anyone else making any steps to get our oh so fearless leader back to the land of floating clouds. So I guess _I_ am." Will sliced open a rift. Then glanced back with a glare to the Guardians. "Let's go, I'm upset."

The rift led them back onto Heatherfield's boardwalk. All was quiet save for the natural wind and Starfire's footsteps when she walked out on the wood and looked around. Followed closely by the Guardians.

Melissa suggested, "Once we get Hay-Lin we have to get to our parents, they're probably blowing our cell phones up."

Starfire grabbed her hand and nodded. "We will. One step at a time." She motioned towards the caves way down the beach. "Their stronghold is just over the caves. We fly over that, maybe seven hundred feet away is a land full of military and citizens."

Irma stepped forward and asked, "And we're putting you in handcuffs, why?"

Will muttered, "Well to make you look good for one, and to show that you caught the issue. The problem is solved by you. You saved the day. Now let's go." Will placed her hands behind her back, urging Cornelia to act.

While she conjured a few vines, Melissa smirked and asked her, "Hey do you think you can make some for me _and_ Will?"

Will bit her lip and lightly kicked her ankle, trying to keep the blush off her face. "I-Ignore her!"

"Like seriously, I have so many ideas."

Once the thick-vined cuffs were applied, Cornelia smirked and answered, "Only if I get to watch—"

Taranee grabbed Will's right arm and interrupted, "And _that's_ the end of **_that_** conversation. Come on." Melissa grabbed her left. Then took off into the air with Taranee and Will, followed by Cornelia and Irma. Sure enough when they rose over the cliff for the warehouse district, a lot of choppers and Humvees were waiting for them up ahead.

Will took a deep breath and said, "Alright. Let's do this."

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Lieutenant Smit kept all teams moving. Weapons weren't really needed right now, but that didn't apply to tent number three. "Quinty" was in there knocked out and having ditzy dreams. Once everything was back to normal, they would secure her a ride out of here to the nearest base.

But for right now, they were listening in on the story being told by the Helicopter crew that were saved by one of them. They were shaken by everything that happened like everyone else, but were able to recall what actually _did_ happen. A lightning bolt hit their tail, then a black haired one flew in and somehow directed their chopper to a landing spot. Then bravely flew back up to the source.

Anchorwoman Sean Macro said it was a miracle she came in or they would all be dead. The camera man had gotten some pretty good pictures when they were running too. But all of this would be kept away from the news for reasons unknown to them.

After they were done, Lieutenant Smit walked out of the tent and looked around for a second before a few families ran up with pictures. Susan raised one up to him of Will and asked, "Has any of your men seen her?"

Lieutenant Smit shook his head and answered, "We're doing final checks later on. We're waiting until we get a good reading on the environment before anyone goes back in."

"Lieutenant!!" He looked up from the parents of the Guardians to a soldier. He pointed to the sky at the shape coming down to the ground. Those girls. The ones with the wings. They were back.

Lieutenant pushed the parents to the side and out of harm's way while the military moved in, aiming all types of weapons at them. Just a whole bunch of cocking. He yelled, "Hold your fire, hold it!!" Then pulled out his pistol and aimed it himself while they touched down, holding a girl with emo hair wearing all black. Glaring right at him.

Susan swore she saw Will in her eyes.

Before Lieutenant Smit could say a word, Irma yelled, "The threat has been apprehended! But we are missing a characted! That _you_ are holding!"

Lieutenant Smit lowered his pistol and walked past the soldiers pointing weapons at them. Shaking his head, he lied, "I have no idea what you're talking about, girlie. Now—"

"If you want this place to hold up, you'll return her," Melissa threatened. Smit recognized her as the girl from the picture. "We helped get your people away from Starfire, now we want Quinty returned to us safely. Or we'll let Starfire go and trash the place."

Lieutenant Smit eyed "Starfire" with trepidation. There's no way in hell he'd lay his hands on her. She looks like she'd rip his head off just by blinking. He blinked at her then focused back on Melissa. "Only if you answer some questions for us."

"Are you insane?" Cornelia asked. Then pointed to Starfire and asked, "Do you know what she can do? We're really lucky we're even touching her right now. If we set her lose, none of you are leaving."

Lieutenant Smit cursed in his mind before something clicked.

 _"Yeah, you talk pretty good English for a person from another world."_

 _"That's_ _because I'm from Earth_

Quinty is from Earth and they already have pictures of her. A good background check should give them enough info. And if his theory was correct, so should the cameras in the city. They didn't need her right now. Those pictures would lead them to all of them.

Smit stepped to the side and said, "Tent Number Three."

Melissa nodded then looked to Starfire and playfully ordered with a jab of a finger, "Stay. Put."

Will went along with it and growled before she and Cornelia walked away for the tent. The guys lowered their guns and watched them as they passed. They gladly did the same thing. Smit focused back on Irma and Taranee holding Starfire. Then sighed and asked, "We're going to find out about you, you do realize that right?"

 _"He knows **something** ," _Will pinged.Taranee hummed and said, "Then I suggest you keep it to yourself. The things you want to learn are things you want to control. But sadly what you want to control have too much power over you. With a wave of a hand you would be dead."

"You are part of a desolation of a single city!—"

"Watch your tone." His eyes darted down to Starfire's narrowed one. "Or I'll lower it for you. These little binds are keeping me nice. But that can very well change in a blink of an eye."

Tent Three's flaps parted open, letting out Melissa and Taranee carrying Hay-Lin by her arms over their shoulders. She didn't look too good, but it's nothing that can't be healed over time. She was already asleep.

They walked past Smit and took off into the air. Shortly followed by Starfire's captors. Smit watched them flank off for Heatherfield and soon disappear from sight. Those girls were definitely from Earth.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Once they were back on the beach, Will used her powers over earth to remove the vines on her wrists. Then gathered with the others around Hay-Lin lying in the sand. Cornelia pressed two fingers on the right side of her neck to check her pulse. Then took a relieving breath. "She's fine."

"Good." Will stood back up and looked around. "Now lets get to my house. If I'm correct those town houses are standing strong. I can get in something nice that will cover the remnants then come up with a story that Melissa and I were... Hanging out, and—"

"Yeah, right."

"Shut it, Hay-Lin. And that you guys happened to—Hay-Lin!" Will slid into the sand and looked down into Hay-Lin's face. "How are you feeling?" Hay-Lin sighed then reached up to softly pat Starfire's worrief cheek. Then slapped it. Hard. "Ow!! Dammit!"

"That's for nearly killing me, Will!" Then reached up and pulled her down into a hug. "And this is for finally waking up."

Will wasn't really keen on getting hugs like this, but Hay-Lin was kidnapped and probably has a concussion because of her. So Will just sighed and allowed herself to be hugged. No one else did it anyway except her girlfriend.

"As much as hugging is appreciated," she said. "We need to get out of here. Now." Will stood up and sliced open another rift while Taranee and Cornelia grabbed Hay-Lin by the arms. Then helped her to her feet. Next they all stepped through into Will's living room. Still pristine and clean. The lights were off and all was dark. No one was home. It was nice and organized. Except for the stuff on the floor that Will threw down earlier that day.

Will motioned to the couch facing the TV while she moved into the kitchen, silently ordering for them to lay Hay-Lin there. Then touched her Remnant, flashing back into Will and brightening up the place for a second. Melissa watched Will move before Hay-Lin changed then all back into innocent high schoolers. Even in a serious state she was beautiful. Melissa sighed and muttered unheard, "What are you doing to me?"

Once they had her situated, Cornelia collapsed into the nearest chair and stroked her face, sighing. " _That_ was intense. Will? Just to avoid another lovely adventure such as this, when we ask you to talk about something just talk about it."

Will took a knee and grabbed a handle under the sink for what looked like a door at the bottom. Then pulled. It was unbelievably a sliding shelf of nothing but medical supplies. Melissa could make out all types of things. Cough medine, bandages, vitamins from walmart, laxatives, of course Benadryl, all of the works. Melissa shook her head while Will explained. "This is Mom's emergency case of medical supplies. She even has a list of what needs to stay in here and stocks it back up once each month if it's out."

Will grabbed one out of two of the same boxes along with a water bottle from the steel fridge. Then walked back over while digging inside. Clearly not trusting Will, Taranee crossed her arms when she crossed her path and asked, "What is that?"

Once nearby, Will kneeled down next to the couch and brushed her hair from in front of her face. That burn wasn't as bad as it was before, but those skin cracks and dark color weren't going away any time soon. It was just the region around her eye. "This is a cold medicine, but it also clears up headaches. We ran out of migraine stuff after..." Will motioned towards her face. "Yeah."

After popping the pill in her mouth, Hay-Lin popped the water bottle and took a refreshing drink. Then turned to Will and said, "Look, Will I'm—"

Will held up her hand to quiet her and sighed. "Don't. I get it. I'm sorry I didn't get it before and nearly caused you to be... Whatever they were going to do. So while I'm getting ready for mom to start yelling over the phone, you guys do your thing. I'm not part of the Guardians anymore."

Will grabbed her purse and tossed the book of the Remnants towards Taranee. She caught it with one hand while Will moved past for the stairwell, all eyes on her. "Make yourselves comfortable. I have to figure out how to tell mom I got my memories back."

Melissa peeked up the stairs once Will reached the top and sang, "Oh Will~."

"Later, Double Dees."

Melissa blinked before the door upstairs shut, leaving them alone. The clock ticking in the corner tick tocked its way through the silence, making things even more uneasy. Speaking of the clock, according to it, the time was seven fifty-six. Melissa sat down next to Hay-Lin and stated, "Time is really slow today."

Cornelia reached over and turned on a lamp. "I'm more surprised that the power over here is on. I live downtown, so... Sleepover at Will's, anyone?"

Melissa grinned and said, "Yeah, sure. But be warned, Will sometimes snores."

Hay-Lin smirked and asked, "How do you know that? Actually while we're on this sibject—"

"I'm not telling you sickos what went on that day."

"—what was it like?"

Irma jumped up and sat on the armrest left of Melissa. "Everyone in here are virgins so start talking."

"No." Melissa crossed her arms and shook her head. "I'm not telling."

The doors upstairs opened, ceasing the conversation. Will's footsteps moved over the carpet. Then she walked down in only a long shirt smirking at them. She didn't have any good intentions. Especially since she said, "Melissa has the best tongue."

Melissa gawked at Will's outright betrayal while the girls fawned, "Ooooohhh!!!"

Melissa sighed and crossed her arms while Will loving wrapped hers around her neck from behind. Then leaned in and happily gave her a loving nuzzle. "Aww, don't get mad."

Melissa glanced away and muttered, "I'm not mad."

"Uh huh." Will pulled her face back and kissed her fully on the lips.

Taranee glanced to Cornelia and made known, "This is the first time we have _ever_ seen them kiss before."

Will pulled back, but not too much that she couldn't look into Melissa's eye. "Feel better?"

Melissa smiled and answered, "Oh yeah." Right before Will's phone rang. Melissa blinked at her while Will's face grew red. Then peeked over the ledge where the sound was coming from behind the couch. "Wait, is that in your—" Will pressed her hand against her mouth while she dug around out of sight.

Finding what she was looking for, Will pulled out her cell phone and answered it on speaker. "Hello?"

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Susan was about to go insane. The National Guard wouldn't allow her or anyone else to go into the city to look for anyone for the ladt few hours. The best they could do was hope for the best and leave it to the military to help them move. She, Dean, the Cordeaus and their extended family, who just happened to still be in town at the time were worried. Not to mention the families of anyone else inside that city. Heatherfield was small, but it was still easy to get lost in.

A few of those families were all of Will's friends'.

The sky had begun to twinkle with stars before they were all allowed back into the city. A lot of things in the center of the city around TechCom were trashed. So basically if you drove to work that day, you'll have a fifty percent chance of walking to work tomorrow if your shop isn't destroyed.

Those whose vehicles weren't destroyed and drove to the relief zone filed into their vehicles and did what they could to get back to what was left of their homes. If they were still standing that is.

Unfortunately, all of the Cordeaus had their cars blown up. How convenient. So The Vandoms and Hales decided to give them a ride back in their own vehicles to the hotel and to the house. After Keitlyn and Samuel had closed the door and were ready in the back of their SUV, Dean pulled off with the army of other vehicles heading back inside. All ignoring the Press and whoever else with lights and cameras.

While they moved, Susan looked over her shoulder and said, "I'm going to try again."

Keitlyn nodded while Susan anxiously dialed Will's number. Then held the phone up to her and watched other vehicles slow to a stop next to theirs. "Come on... Pick up, pick up..." She muttered.

The dial tone ended with a bunch of shuffling. _"Hello?"_

"Will!! Oh my god, honey are you okay? Where are you?" Susan gave a thumbs up Dean and Keitlyn. "Is Mellisa with you?"

Will answered, "Yeah, we're all here. Melissa and the others. We're here at the house."

"Is anyone hurt?"

Will walked around the counch she was standing behind and looked down into Hay-Lin's curious and confused eyes. "Hay-Lin and I hit our heads, but we're okay. Hay-Lin _mayyy_ have gotten a concussion. She's focusing on everything but me right now."

Susan heard Hay-Lin say, "That's because you keep turning my head."

Susan sighed and held her heart in relief. "Okay I'll tell their parents to come and meet them at our place. Where were you when it happened?"

Will sat down on Melissa's right leg and lied, "Melissa and I were walking home when the vibrations started happening. So we quickly ran inside and sort of stayed put. Then ironically ended up falling asleep."

The Guardians looked at her strangely before Will smirked and held up a finger in their direction. Wait for it... _"Yeah, vibrations do make you sleep faster."_ Will stcuk her thumb up. _"When did the other girls show up?"_

"Uhhh after Melissa woke up. A big one made me fall down the stairs and hit my head on the wood and the girls had carried Hay-Lin inside. I don't think they knew where Melissa lived."

Susan raised her eyebrow but didn't comment on it. "Well... Okay. Is the power on?"

 _"Yeah."_

"Okay, well everyone stay put for now. We're heading that way now. We love you."

"We love you too... Okay, see you then." Will hung the phone up then dropped it on the table with a slight clatter. Then wrapped her arms around Melissa. "So what's my punishment, girls? And don't say there isn't one, I crushed Meridian, Kandrakar, used a brick on Mariho, shook up 'First month of the year,' and absolutely bombed the finale, ending everything with a partly destroyed Heatherfield. Not to mention I just lied to my mother. So come on."

All eyes turned to Hay-Lin. She in turn glanced around asked, "What? I can't make this decision on my own. But I do motion Will Vandom apologize to Queen Elyon, and assist in rebuilding Meridian, apologize to Mariho for bashing her with a brick, apologize to the people of Hootakah for invading their sacred pool thing—I honestly forgot what it's called, and helping rebuild Heatherfield."

Cornelia rubbed the back of her neck and said, "I'm pretty sure everyone else is going to help with that last bit, but okay. I second that. All in favor say aye."

All of the girls said aye except Will and Melissa, who they all turned to. Melissa glanced up to Will's face. Then slowly raised her left hand, despite how awkward she was making this. "Aye."

Will rolled her eyes but went ahead and shrugged. "I guess I deserve at least that much."

Irma stood up and stretched, getting the kinks out her back. "Yeah, But..." She straightened out and adjusted her shirt. "How did you do that air thing? Like when we first went at it, you froze that lightning bolt?"

Will smirked and answered, "Oh, well let me ask you guys a question. What is all around us? Both Day and Night?"

Cornelia looked around and answered, "Wood?"

"Air," Hay-Lon deadpanned. Then shook her head and asked, "Where did you get wood from?"

Will smiled and nodded. "Yep, air. It's all around us. It helps you breath, fly, and actually allows you to move. Just like everything, the air is made of molecules, creating matter. All I did to stop everything was freeze the molecules of air. And to be honest, Air is the strongest."

Just to prove her point, Will grabbed her phone and recklessly tossed it over her head. Then made a fist. The phone froze maybe two feet from the floor. Melissa whistled a descending tone amd whispered, "Jeez, Will. You're smart."

Taranee sighed and said, "Yeah her grades in the sciences ar ebtter than mine. How are you going to hide those bangles?"

Will's phone flew back into her hand when the Remnant of Air lit up. Then she stared at her wrists and ankles. At the Remnants. "Long clothing."

Irma shook her head and denied, "No way you're wearing long clothing. You're a short-clothes-that-fits kind of gal, not a long-sleeved-shirt-in-the-summer kind of girl, which is fast approaching."

Will hummed and nodded. Wearing long sleeves would kill her way before the police do. Before Will could reply, the front door's handle started to jiggle. Their eyes shot to it before Will did the one thing that should hold for now: Create a glamour. A literal second before it was done, the front door pushed open and Susan rushed in hectically. The Guardians all looked to her before her eyes locked on Will.

Target in sight, Susan dropped her purse and ran around the couch. Then pulled Will off Melissa's lap and into her arms. If Susan could see the Remnants she certainly didn't say anything about it. Susan took a deep calming breath and whispered, "I thought I lost you."

While her mother was crying in her hair, Will looked around the room at everyone else. All were going through family hugs, especially Hay-Lin. Will slowly wrapped her arms around Susan and hugged her back tight while Dean mirrored it from behind. "Mom?" She whispered. "I'm... Sorry."

Susan pulled away slightly and looked down into Will's saddened eyes. "What are you apologizing for, Little Wings?" She whispered. She used her index finger to lightly trace Will's burned eye. "This isn't your fault. You're not to blame."

Melissa caught Will's eye from h and slowly shook her head. _"We'll talk about this,"_ she pinged.

Will swallowed hard and sighed. "I... Got my memories back."

Susan gasped and gripped both sides of Will's face grinning. "You did? You got your memories back?!"

Now that most attention was on them Melissa decided to help out and say, "Yeah, who knew a bonk on wooden flooring would get her brain running again."

Will playfully stuck her tongue out at her. "You love my brain."

"I so do, ya' skippin' redhead."

Susan laughed and kissed Will on the forehead. "Do you remember everything from the past?"

"Yeah, we moved to Heatherfield because you and dad weren't working out. I met my friends at school, you met Dean, and had William."

"That's right!! Ugh, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear this. School is starting in less than a month and I was going to be signing a lot of paperwork for special studies, but now I don't have to. Do you remember what happened?"

Will's blood froze. That was just another thing she hated lying about. "I... Don't want to talk about it. At least now."

"It's okay. You don't have to, but I do want to know about it, okay?" The Guardians glanced in Will's direction while they spoke with their own parents. Will glanced to but nosded to her mother.

"I will." Susan huffed and pulled Will into another hug while Dean picked up William.

Deciding to amuse this, Melissa looked to Cornelia and called, "Hey, Cornelia?" She looked her and nodded. "Will and I still need those vines."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I am aware this was a very long chapter. But I'm really anxious for Act 2. I hope you guys enjoyed this Act, because the next one is going to center mostly around... Earth.


	23. Back To School

**Act 2: Back To School**

It was a very, very... _Very_ tense month. Well for Will at least. After the punishment was decided, the Guardians went back to Kandrakar and informed the Council of their decision. They were all for it. Then after a week, they finally managed to get her started.

Hootakah was pissed. The three words used to describe how they felt after Starfire stepped foot on their world once again. Turns out, even though all the action happened on Heatherfield, it caused other things to happen on different worlds once the Veil bean to crack. After a talk with Will, Kandrakar learned that her main goal was to destroy the veil, which was the barrier to hold back both worlds from different dimensions, but keep them connected as if they were merely a few miles away. And thanks to their gravitational pull, they would all collide into each other. Including Kandracar's fortress. And it came really close to doing that.

When the first crack appeared and fell, it was over Hootakah. And their world began to shatter. The magnetic field of their world began to collapse, disrupting magnetic waves and causing mass destruction in their technology. A majority of their computers had crashed, data was wiped, and a lot of people lost a lot of money due to the damages it caused. And Will was to blame.

Even though she was thoroughly protected, a lot of stuff was still thrown. But Will still pushed on. The same was for Meridian. Elyon was more than furious. But like Will promised, she was doing what she could to rebuild. Using her new magnificent powers to create building blocks and pieces at a much faster rate than they would ever be able to. Melissa never knew it, but Will was really good at science.

Taranee did say she always duped her in the different sciences. One of the reasons Will and Taranee had betted that day in the Silver Dragon that whoever gets the highest grade on their next Chemistry exam will get their phone bill paid by their opponent. Melissa just shook her head to Taranee from the side and said, "My girl will whoop you."

Now even though things were looking up for Will so far, her damage on Heatherfield was still pretty much real and out there. As guessed, Will could repair the veil, but due to the mass amount of people couldn't use her power to help rebuild Heatherfield without being seen. If they did, they risked being exposed to the Government moving into Heatherfield. Will and Melissa remembered when they did. With two familiar characters that gave Will pause.

Medina and McTiennan. The guys from Interpol that looked into Elyon when she was first missing. It was a sight all too common for Will. Police cars and roped off areas. But then the FBI and CIA showed up too. They may have found something. Things were getting serious. Not to mention Will's mother was worried Will was hiding something. She refused to talk about what happened that night a few months back. But decided to give Will her space until she was ready.

Will knew things were on a cold war right now. All of Kandrakar knew it. And the Guardians were in the middle of it. And it was all rooted from her. If someone on her side was hurt, it'd be her fault.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Melissa was considered family to the Vandoms. So she could either sleep here at their house since they had more than enough space, or she could sleep across the street with her own family. It was every teenagers dream to sleep in the same house as their spouse and Melissa was living that reality. Will wouldn't have it any other way.

Susan and Dean had gone to bed along with William, leaving her and Melissa alone to do their thing. They decided to watch TV. Curled up together on the couch slightly underneath one blanket in the dark, their eyes were trained on the silliness of the characters. The volume was low as it played some late night comedy show. But Will's mind wasn't on it. It was on tomorrow: School. The first day. And she was worried.

They were supposed to go back two weeks before now, but everything was pretty much shut down.

Melissa glanced her way and sighed. Will had _that_ look on her face. The one she uses when she's thinking of something important. Melissa reached down and picked up the remote to mute the tv and temporarily knock Will out of her thoughts.

At first she blinked at it. Then turned her head to look straight into Melissa's mildly amused eyes. She shook her head and said, "You weren't paying attention to it."

Will shrugged and muttered, "Meh. I had my mind on other things."

"Which is why I muted the TV. Let's talk about it. Come on and spill, my redhead."

Will rolled her eyes but did manage a small smile. Leave it to her black-haired goddess to know her so well. So Will stroked her hair and said, "I'm worried about tomorrow. It's the first day of school, and... Everyone wants to know what happened to me. Should I just hide behind the hair or... Should I just let it show?"

Melissa shrugged and said, "Well I know you're a strong one. So even if people tease you for it, all you have to say are a few words to get them shaking in their pants." Will giggled and rolled her eyes again before Melissa lightly grabbed her chin. Then pulled her close to say, "But like I told you before, you're not alone in this. We planned for this already, remember?"

"I know, I know. But what if something happens? Like... Like the Vanhoovens." Melissa just stared at her with a blank face. She clearly didn't have to say anything to get Will to understand what she was implying.

"The who?"

"Those girls that were talking bad about you the day before... You know, everything hit the fan."

Melissa rolled her eyes and deadpanned, "Are you talking about those same three girls who had all their teeth smashed in, and whose leader had the greatest of all chokeholds from the smallest girl she's ever fought?"

Will bit her lip to try not to laugh. It was really difficult. When she puts it that way, her worries sounded a little ridiculous. "Well... Yeah, but I know them. And they know me. They play to win and if they can't win at their target, they put it on someone they know. How bad are they at school?"

Melissa sighed and grabbed the remote again. "Let's just say Nigel has competition."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yep." Once the volume was low enough, Melissa set the remote back down and added, "But we're prepared for that. So who were those Government guys you were all going crazy in my head about earlier?"

Will adjusted herself so she was curled up to Melissa's side. "McTiennan and Medina. When we first started being Guardians, the first threat we had ever countered before was Lord Phobos. I'm sure the girls told you about him by now."

Melissa wrapped an arm around Will's shoulders and nodded. "Yeah, he was the emperor of Meridian or something and had a sister here?"

"More like the terror. The ringleader of everything bad on Meridian. I'm sure the girls told you the basics of what happened after he was defeated too."

"Yeah, Elyon took the throne."

"Right. What they _didn't_ tell you was what happened here after she _left_ for Meridian." Melissa turned to her and motioned to continue. "Well Elyon is a child registered on Earth. And when a child and their whole family all of a sudden disappears with no known reason out of the blue, who gets called in?"

Melissa seethed and whispered, "The police."

"Right. Well they couldn't find anything I guess so they bumped it up another level that we didn't know about. Interpol. Technically the international police. Those two had cornered me and the girls. Not to mention had convince Irma's dad to think we did really something to Elyon and had actually interrogated her. They're good at their jobs. And they're no doubt in town to figure out what happened alongside the CIA, The Police, and the FBI. Why specifically those two, I don't know. And that troubles me. They're the first ones here that I actually recognize and they haven't been around for a few years. So they can't be here for 'the large storm.' I think they're back onto us or Elyon."

" _Or_ you could just be worried about what could happen if they find out about us. Will, we just have to be careful and they won't learn a thing."

Clearly denying that, Will shook her head and replied, "I'm not so sure. Out of all the things I've seen on the news I at least know one thing about the law. One important tactic that is always used."

"Oh? And what's that?."

"They _really_ love cameras." Melissa blinked at the television. Then sighed through her nose. "Cameras are really important to the government. And they hold strong, not to mention some have backup batteries. We just have to be normal, I know that. But that won't matter if they caught us on cameras. We never really had to worry about that in the past when we were Guardians. Most of the crimes took place on different worlds, not in Heatherfield. But now it's here _in_ Heatherfield. I have a feeling they're on to us. And it's thanks to those cameras."

Melissa muted the tv again and inputted, "Well we won't know for sure until something happens. Until then we act like regular sophomores in High School with no care in the world until we encounter something. Because we can't really plan anything if we do get caught."

Will shrugged and suggested, "We can think of an ultimatum."

"Like what? 'We promise not to trash anything next time?' Will, this was more than likely a one time thing they wanna put a stop to, we can't really promise anything. According to you guys, evil just sort of... Pops up. Like your nipple when it's cold. Then we have to come in and put it out."

Will blanched and playfully slapped Melissa's leg while she snickered. "I know for a fact yours does too. But I already thought of one. Sort of like Kandrakar, they can't really do anything to us. We're citizens of the united states. Just with powers. The worst they could do is place us in prison, but we could easily escape with a swipe of my hand." Will lifted her hand and created a ball of water that gradually turned into a snowball. Then threw it into Melissa's chest. "Let's watch _your_ nipples pop up."

Melissa scoffed. Then grabbed Will around the waist and pulled her on top while it melted. Surprised, Will asked, "Since when did you get so strong?"

Melissa sighed and wrapped her arms around Will's waist to clasp her hands together. "Training does that. Promise you'll stop worrying?"

"Only if you can get me in a training session with the others. I think I'm going soft."

"It's a date."

Melissa pecked Will on the lips before she asked, "Since when does physical training fall under the dating category?"

"Since I started getting turned on by how hot you look when you're Starfire. Black leggings, exposed sides, those evil seductive red eyes."

"How about the black bat wings and remnants?"

Melissa reached up and playfully tugged at the Golden Remnant of Quintessence settled around her neck. "Eh... Cute? Not scary at all."

Will nodded like it was the most acceptable answer. "Uh huh. Yeah, right." Melissa playfully slapped her butt. "Hey. Watch it, missy."

Melissa grinned and nodded once up to her face. "Go ahead. Change and see what I like."

"No, we're inside. Maybe tomorrow, we need some sleep. We have school in the morning." Will levitated the remote into her hand from behind and cut off the TV. Then rolled off Melissa and into her spot in the darkness.

It was silent for a few seconds until Melissa sighed and said, "Will? Get your hand out my pajamas—ooooh, nevermind."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Alarm clocks. One of the most hated devices that awoke the populace of small time teenagers in Heatherfield the next morning at six, and even more at seven. The Guardians and Will set theirs for six. When it went off, it was unfortunately upstairs in her parents' room.

Will moaned into Melissa's neck. Then blinked her eyes open and pulled back to look around.

"Girls, time to get up!" Will jumped out of her skin but quickly applied the glamour when her mother came jogging down the stairs. Her face was stretched with a smile aimed at the two of them. Then at Melissa specifically, still snoring logs.

Will giggled then patted her face. "Hey, wake up. Time to get ready."

Melissa moaned and wrapped her arms back around Will to pull her back onto the couch. Then moaned into her hair, "Will, it's Saturday. Come back to bed."

Susan had to admit. Melissa was a bold one. Will rolled her eyes then did something under the covers that jolted Melissa awake. Literally. She shook and sat straight up, almost flinging Will off in the process. Melissa stretched her arms over her lithe figure and yawned. "Whoa! Will! Too early."

Will just smiled and said, "Good morning handsome."

"Morning, gorgeous—oh hey, Mrs. Vandom! Good morning! Thanks for letting me sleep over!" Melissa nervously scratched the back of her neck while trying to ignore that look.

Susan uncrossed her arms chuckled. "Good morning, Melissa. Your parents are going to expect you in the house in a few minutes."

 _An hour later_

Will took a deep calm breath after she stepped out into the morning air and closed the front door behind her. Then focused on the distance where the city of Heatherfield sat. Even from here she could make out the flashing of red, white, and blue. Keeping back the dangerous roads. All because of her jealousy.

Will sighed and reached up to the silver pendant settling around her neck. On her sixteenth birthday a few months ago, her friends gave her a necklace bearing a pendant. Inside of it was a picture with all of them on it except for Melissa. She wasn't around yet. She had never opened it and put it on. So she decided to wear it today. On the first day back to the school where they all met.

Will could only imagine the horror tales that everyone at school will recall.

 _"My power is still out."_

 _"Roof collapsed."_

 _"I lost all of my clothes!"_ Sounds like something Cornelia would say.

Will shook her head and adjusted her red bag with a muttering of, "At least they're okay."

"Leaving me behind already? I'm hurt." Will smiled her way back towards Melissa walking down the steps of her home. Then walked across the silent street her way wearing a simple black t-shirt with black skinny jeans, and a black backpack. Shooting Will that smile she liked. "Hey, gorgeous."

Will turned her whole body to face her and replied, "Hey, handsome. A little too hot for black, don't you think?"

Shrugging, Melissa entwined her right hand with Will's left. Then proceeded down the street with her for downtown. "I love black, what can I say? I have a thing for emo girls." She reached over and stroked her fingers through Will's long red hair covering her right half.

Will swatted her hand away and denied, "Yeah, I'll believe that when pigs fly."

"You probably shouldn't have said that." Melissa pointed her finger to the sky over Heatherfield, directing Will's sight to the police chopper slowing passing over. Of course Melissa would find a way out of that.

Will groaned, "I walked straight into that one."

"Yeah, you did!"

"Hey, Will! Melissa!" They stopped their procession and looked to the right where Cornelia was... Wait, Cornelia _not_ downtown?! Cornelia came to a stop on Will's right side wearing pink. _Everything_ pink! She patted Will's shoulder and asked, "You ready?"

"I don't know. So let's find out." Will led the two of them down before Will decided to ask, "How are the others?" Then stopped at a stop light. Well two crossing guards directing traffic away from the road thy were coming up on. This block had a lot of damage. A crew was currently in the midst of moving a tree that had fallen into a single townhouse across the street from a park. Will felt a pang of guilt while they moved past it onto a different street away from their original route.

Melissa immediately wrapped her arm around her shoulder and whispered, "Don't even."

"But—"

"Nope," Cornelia chimed in. "We all make mistakes. I sometimes buy the wrong lipstick and can't get my money back. But unlike that, this mistake can be fixed."

Leave it to Cornelia to try and cheer someone up with fashion jokes. But it at least made Will smile again while they passed McDonald's and a shopping center. "Thanks, girls."

Cornelia playfully jostled her shoulders a bit and joked, "Yeah, just don't tell anyone about the lipstick, that was embarrassing."

"Your secret's safe with us. How recent was this disaster?"

"Yesterday. I'm traumatized."

Melissa nodded and said out of the blue, "Will's afraid the police will find out about us through cameras."

Cornelia let Will go to look to Melissa and whispered, "Oh they _will_. It's only a matter of time. We had a fight in the middle of the street, soared through the sky and started blowing things up, then duked it out again at the top of TechCom. Not to mention Irma and I were in front of TechCom helping get people out, and Elyon, Taranee and January were working extremely close with the police all wearing body cameras. Not to mention, since when does the top of a building _not_ have cameras? I'm just surprised they didn't catch us while we were sleeping."

Melissa and Will stopped walking the sidewalk and just stared at Cornelia for a moment. Melissa calmly said, "You _can't_ be serious."

Cornelia turned around and shrugged. "Taranee and Hay think so too. Since when do they not catch anything? Get this..." Cornelia leaned in and whispered, "Hay-Lin admitted that she told this military guy that she was from Earth. She thinks they'll eventually put the picture together and figure we're all from Earth. Add the fact that Medina and what's-his-face are back in town and it's uh-oh time. Hay-Lin and Yan-Lin are working on a plan."

Once they started walking with the morning traffic again, Will looked up to Melissa and scolded, "See, I _told_ you we should be worried! What's going to happen when we get caught?!"

Melissa placed her hand over Will's mouth and muttered, "Jeez, tell the whole world _now_ why don't you. And I said nothing can actually be done. I mean like our parents might find out, but what's the worse? I'm pretty sure you-know-who has been planning on telling you-know-them about you-know-who for quite a while now."

"Well I already know America's crazy so they'll want to immediately know how are we blending in with the world like regular people when yesterday we were controlling the elements of the planet with wings on our backs. Then they'll take the Heart by force if we tell them since it's pretty much a weapon."

"...yeaaaah, sounds accurate," Cornelia silently admitted. "So technically, it's give them our artifacts, hope mom and dad don't kill us or try and move to a different city to hide their power wielding daughters—"

"You know what?" They focused back on Will when they arrived on the corner away from the school. Will slowly nodded her head with eyes trained on the school. " _That'll_ be a last resort. I'm not the leader so I'll run it by Hay-Lin."

Before the light changed, Melissa asked, "What are you talking about, redhead?" Then started walking across the street with the two.

"I'll tell you when we're inside with the other girls."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

This is by far the strangest case that Medina had ever seen. Her glasses-clad brown eyes scanned the busy first scene of the event. Packed with state _and_ federal trying to gather clues. Her brown button up, tucked into her jeans beared her bade to Interpol. Her partner Joel was wearing something similar. A short sleeve muscle shirt with jeans. It was going to be a warm day here. If the weather all of a sudden doesn't go haywire like it did yesterday. She doesn't want a tan on her exotic brown skin.

After she and McTiennan were called back in, she was honestly expecting the leadless Brown family case again.

Not even close. When they first arrived, it was nothing but a bunch of destruction. Multiple streets were shut down, the power was out on almost all the blocks downtown. And based off the news, "The sky was falling and girls were flying." Sounds like every adolescent boy's dream.

Medina sighed and pulled up the yellow tape with Do Not Cross to step her leather boots into a demolished shop near the intersection. They had moved a dumpster out from the window earlier. Apparently it was thrown by what a witness described, "An evil bitch who wrecked my car."

Medina smirked when a memory of that conversation crossed her mind. Then brushed it off and proceeded towards Joel. He was a big guy. Well bigger than her anyway. All guys were bigger than her. Stroking his short blonde hair in thought while looking at a notepad in his hands.

Most of the store was intact, it was just the front that was messed up and had glass all over the floor. Joel and the other officers on this case were looking through camera footage on the counter. So Medina politely nudged her way through to join in. Joel nodded at it and said, "The report of flying girls was right."

The feed had a black and white view for the outside of the building. The camera itself was situated in the top right corner of the front of the store and trained on the entrance. When things set off, people were running back they way they came and into buildings. One of those girls with long blonde hair jumped on top of a car and watched them move while the camera shook for a bit. Then jumped off behind the people and slapped her hand on the ground. And just like that, a wall of dirt grew up to block flames from licking the people running.

One of the officers leaned back and exclaimed, "Whooooa! Talk about skill."

The guy operating the controls paused the video and reversed it a few seconds to get her face. Then took a screenshot. "So we have this girl," he said. Then clicked around and said, "There's five of them. One of them is the big boss giving orders or else they wouldn't be this organized."

Medina asked, "How exactly are they doing all of this... Power stuff?"

"Not sure. And that's why the CIA and FBI's here I think. Maybe they can cross-reference it with some stuff out of city or state. Next up is a traffic cam of the intersection."

A view from above the intersection was displayed at five forty-six. They just watched the cars move past for a few more seconds before the screen turned white. Joel asked, "So... What happened?"

Pointing to the timestamp, the officer replied, "Dunno, but it's not software."

The color stayed that way for a few seconds before it died out, revealing three wrecks. And the girls. Starfire was on the bottom left in front of the crowd while the Guardians were in the upper right. Then all hell broke loose. The girl at the bottom leaned her head back, then shot it forward. Literally spitting out a huge amount of flames.

Medina noted that that had to have been when the chaos started. "A lot of 'weird' going on here. Where did they come from?"

An officer from the side shook her head and answered, "Not sure. But yesterday the National Guard managed to grab one who was knocked out on the side of the street and asked her questions. She said... She's from Earth."

Medina wasn't so sure. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that they were missing something here. But she only sighed and replied, "Well I should hope so. They're doing some Alien-crap... Is _that_ why the CIA's here? Because they think they're aliens?"

She shrugged and answered, "I don't know, they're not talking."

"Well whatever it is, it involves these girls from Earth. Let's get this footage back to the mobile unit."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

The courtyard of Sheffield was busy with laughter from students, teachers, and others faculty alike. Bikes rode onto the campus and settled underneath the trees and near the statues. It was a little peaceful. Much unlike Will's worries that people would be talking about what happened. Of course it was too early to tell and everyone was spaced out right now. So Will concluded that she should wait until she was in a classroom. When everyone was close together and she could hear conversations. Will's red outfit of a short sleeved red shirt of a burning sun and a pair of red cargo shorts contrasted greatly with the rest of the school's staff and student body. But she ignored all that as she, Melissa, and Cornelia walked in. Speaking of...

Once they walked onto the plastic tiled flooring of the school, Will turned to Cornelia and asked in a teasing manner, "What were _you_ doing _not_ downtown?"

Melissa joined in on the fun and added, "Oh yeah! For you not to be downtown is really rare."

Cornelia reached over and flicked both of their foreheads. Then answered, "I live downtown. No power. So we're camping out at a hotel."

The pair fawned and turned down a hall of passing students for the cafeteria. The halls were clean and everyone were catching up on the others' vacation. And just like Will assumed, the closer they got to the cafeteria, the more coherent the conversations became. Talking about the disaster that had left a majority living in hotels due to damaged housing. Including teachers. It was a really bad storm.

"Will!" They once again slowed their speed when Dean walked out his class for them wearing a sweater. He already had the room setup and everything from what she could tell. Sheets on desks and... Nametags?

Will cast a curious glance up to Dean with a question in her eye. Catching it, he answered, "Yes, there will be assigned seating. And just because your mother thought it'd be a good idea, she wanted Melissa next to you in case something happened. Please don't take advantage of it."

Will pouted and muttered, "Dad don't embarrass me in front of _Cornelia_ of all people." Will could just feel Cornelia's teasing coming up. As much as she'd like her not to, she will.

Dean smiled and pushed some documents he was holding her way. "Yeah, well I need to play school while at school, and lovebirds on your own time. I don't want to see your grades slipping this year. You have a great record, don't break it. Here's your schedule beforehand. You and Melissa have me first with one of your other friends."

Will smirked and took the papers. "How about those 'Special Courses' mom was talking about putting me on."

"I don't know. You'll have to check with your counselor on that. I'll see you in first period."

Will nodded then walked away while looking at her school schedule with Melissa. According to her father, she only had Melissa at the moment in one of her classes and maybe Taranee. But that's as much of her friends she was getting right unless she's told otherwise now. Then after that it's gym, lunch, art, and english. A few teachers she's had before and a few she's heard of. Then a few she's never even heard of. Probably new. Either way, that wasn't important right now.

They finally walked into the cafeteria. It was packed. Each year, they start off in either the cafeteria or the gym. It might be both because of the storm. First day, talk to everyone in here. Second day, talk about the storm and the efforts to help in the Gym. IT's going to be one quick day.

Cornelia squealed then grabbed Will's hand and pulled her over to their table where Taranee, Hay-Lin, and Irma were waving to them from. Will was always confused as to how they always managed to secure a table all to themselves with barely anyone else nearby. But it always worked out for the Guardians. Especially when they need to discuss private matters.

It was nostalgic when Will sat in her seat. Next to Hay-Lin no less who decided to look her up and ddown like the others. While Melissa was on her left, Hay-Lin was on her right, both with their backs to a majority of the student body. The lights above were bright and the room was noisy. Just a standard large school cafeteria. There were no levels. The lunch line and kitchen were on the far left while waste bins and such flanked the doorway. and in between the aisles.

Once Will was settled, she looked up and froze at the faces of her friends. They were shooting her strange smirks that she returned. "...what?" She asked.

Taranee, wearing some very complex dress shook her head and answered, "Nothing, just... The last time you sat here you looked like a complete wreck."

Will couldn't argue with that. So she just sighed and said, "Yeah, I was... Terrible."

Hay-Lin reached over and calmly patted her arm. "Yeah... But you're obviously trying to get better. And doing a really good job at it. Like you didn't snap at us or anything. Why didn't you tell us before about you being bipolar, we wouldn't have been mad."

"Because we were young and didn't really have to worry about me breaking bad. I moved to Heatherfield to pretty much leave all of that in Fadden, but I guess I can never leave it if it's literally in my head."

Irma grinned and said, "Well you could act like a full blown monkey and we'd still love you for it. Right, Melissa?"

Somehow, Melissa managed to get her hands on some breakfast food and was now munching away on an english muffin with something sloppy inside. She nodded and gave a thumbs up while she enjoyed her food. At least she was paying attention. Will playfully shook her head.

Hay-Lin nodded and placed both her hands on the table with an aggravated sigh. "Yeah, well... Let's try and fix this mess we all don't want to talk about." Melissa stopped chewing and directed her eyes to Hay-Lin like the others. She leaned in and whispered, "I'm sure you all know we can't hide from this. So we just have to be prepared."

Taranee grunted and asked, "But how? Two of our oldest nosy friends are looking into it too. And I'm pretty sure Himerish can't erase the minds of millions of people across the country. This event interrupted channels everywhere."

Hay-Lin admitted, "I honestly don't know if we can even really hide. We just have to be prepared. Grandma even says that the damage has been done and that we will have to come out about ourselves."

Finally finishing her meal, Melissa leaned back to stretched her arms over her head and strained, "Yeah, but how exactly do you think they'll take that? We're not talking regular people here, these guys have power."

Will was thinking intently. Cornelia was eyeing her rub her chin with a thought on her mind and intense eye on the table. So she asked, "Any ideas, Will?"

She shook her head and answered, "I'm not sure. I already talked to 'Lissa about this last night before we went to bed. These guys have cameras, brought in the FBI, Hay-Lin was bagged by the National Guard and shot with a dart surrounded by other guys with guns. The guys on the ground and in the air tried to shoot at me when the storm was finally calm after I quit. There's no telling what's next. I understand we have to be prepared, but... What exactly are we preparing for? To talk? Or for a shoot out?"

Melissa shrugged and suggested, "Probably the former. They know we're not the bad guys here. If we were, we wouldn't have been trying to save everyone."

"Which leads me to my next question. If we're not the bad guys, then why is the whole nation here to investigate?"

Irma grunted and answered, "Oh that's easy. Fear. We're six badasses who know our craft and have been using it for years. One of them is stronger than all of us and can take down anything with a wave of her hand. Why else?"

"Yeah, that is true. But I am a little scared of what will happen when they do get us. We can't prepare for it because we don't know what they'll do. It's not like we're preparing an invasion and they want to beat us to the punch. They're literally looking for us. So I guess the best thing we can do is expect it. So I motion that when they do burst in on us—which they will very very soon—we react nonviolently."

The others looked at each other to make up the other's mind. To react in non violence seemed like something so simple but in reality was going to be hard for girls who fight whenever a weapon is pointed at them. But in the end, Hay-Lin raised her hand and responded, "I second that. All in favor?"

Melissa begrudgingly nodded and raised her own hand. Followed by Irma, Cornelia, and finally Taranee. Hay-Lin nodded and coalesced, "We will react in nonviolence. I'll let Grandma know about the decision as soon as I see her tonight. Until then—" Hay-Lin swiveled to Will and changed her whole demeanor to excited. "Let's talk about _you_ two. Will, are you gay?"

Will shook her head and answered, "Honestly? I have no preference. I just love Melissa."

Melissa smiled and wiped her hands off on a napkin. Then grabbed Will around the waist and kissed her right on the lips. "And I love me my redhead," she whispered.

Whenever Will rolls her eyes, Melissa knew she did something right. It was sort of the opposite of what it was used for, but okay. Taranee smiled at the display. Then glanced past them and rolled her own eyes. _"Girls, trouble heading our way. More than likely for Will though."_

Melissa let Will go and sighed just like her. Will knew exactly who she was talking about. "Well, look what we have here." That annoying voice could rival a Freshman's. Will swiveled around in her seat and looked up to the tall form of Cecelia. Wearing pretty much a biker outfit for teenagers. She clearly had on makeup to hide that shiner. Her twin sisters no better. They wore matching outfits, those two. Just different colors. Cecelia clearly went out and got her hair done. Her hair had streaks of blue in them and she had applied some mascara and eyeshadow. She pointed to Will and almost jabbed her in the chest if she hadn't slapped it away as fast as it appeared. "Emo bitch and the round table of wannabes."

Will slowly shook her head and replied, "Why would we want to be you? We're way smarter than you or your sisters. Not to mention stronger. Try not to piss me off again and you won't get a twin shiner on your face."

Cecelia leaned down, but not too close to Will's face since Melissa and the others were giving her that stink eye. Taranee had gotten way more assertive Cornelia noticed. She silently praised her. She growled, "I _will_ get you back, crybaby. And I'm going to get you where it hurts."

Will widened her eyes. Then slowly narrowed them. "Well let me tell _you_ something. If you come after me, or anyone or anything I treasure..." Will reached up and grabbed Cecelia's collar. Then yanked her down into her scowling and murderous expression. "You won't even _live_ to regret it. Don't make me made, Cecelia. I may be nice and kind now, but if I find out you did something, you won't even be able to walk home from the ass whooping I'll give you. This is my only warning."

Cecelia used her hands to push Will back into the table. Then stood up and made her way out for the hallway. Will could tell she didn't believe her. She never did believe any threats. Back in middle school, whenever someone did something to her she _would_ go somewhere and cry. Thus adding to her nickname. But this wasn't Fadden Hills. This wasn't Cecelia's territory. This was Will's and she was trying to make it her own world by force. Apparently, that wouldn't get through to her head. But Will had a feeling this was all revolving around something else.

You can't just be that evil for no reason. Even she herself had her own reasons as to why she attacked Kandrakar, Meridian, and damaged a bunch of structures. Will hummed before Cecelia walked out. But not before casting one more evil look to Will. Once she and her sisters were gone, Will turned around and faced the nonchalant looks of her friends. She sighed and said, "You know... I've never noticed it before, but... Why is Cecelia so mean?"

Taranee shrugged and answered, "Eh, I'm not really worried about it. It's Cecelia trying to represent stuck up Fadden Hills."

"Well _I_ am. I mean... I always encountered her at school just being a big bully and I never understood why. Like, I know I'm _wayyyy_ worse than she is. Her compared to me is like a bug yelling at a truck. I'll run you over and won't even notice. But it's sort of like she doesn't care. At all." Melissa was about to say something but Will went again. "You know what? I'll probably just follow her after school one day just to see what's up. She may be from Fadden, but they're not that serious. I mean come on, you just got beat up and your sisters did too no less. And you're all either taller or my height. And it was really simple."

Irma quickly added, "Speaking of which, you have to show us some of those moves. I've never seen anyone fight like you do except in movies."

"Get a black belt first and then we'll talk about me trying to teach you how to do advanced Martial Arts. But yeah, one day I'm going to follow her. Just to see what's up. She can't be doing this for kicks or for pleasure, it's not like her to do that. She's not getting anything out of it. But I have to tell you guys something. I spoke with Cornelia and Melissa earlier about it but didn't actually elaborate on it. I have an idea that's smart, just in case things do hit the fan."

Hay-Lin leaned in and whispered, "Please elaborate."

"If we get caught, and we get caught up in something we can barely handle... We run."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Thank you so much for reading, guys. I know you think this story is going nowhere, but I assure you, you'll love it. I promise.


	24. Ready

**Ready...**

The first day of school went by as good as it could considering classes. Her first period was Science with her dad, Melissa, and Taranee. Just as she thiught. As promised there was no flirting. Which was impressive in Dean's eyes considering those two were deep in it. He was at least expecting some discreet stuff but not even that. Melissa was good at keeping Will calmed down.

Her second period was Gym with Mr. Conaway. And The Vanhoovens. He was a little pudgy, but he still had muscle under his shirt. He had light blue eyes with the same intensity as Luba behind a pair of square framed prescriptions, and five foot nine. He said during the semester there was going to be basic exercises, of course classroom stuff, and swimming. Will was going to destroy that last one and she knew it. And Cecelia's stink eye wasn't going to stop her. Thankfully there was no further altercation with her but that could inly last but so long.

After second it's lunch with—how convenient—only Melissa. Will was absolutely sure mom put them together somehow. Had to be the reason.

Third was Art with Mrs. Hawthorne and Cornelia. Mrs. Hawthorne was a new teacher who transferred in from a different school nearby. She humored them by saying a storm wasn't on the letter she really needed. Mrs. Hawthorne was a tall slender Asian-American woman going at six foot two. Poor Cornelia felt small this day. She obviously loved her home country since her room was decorated with paintings of it along with sculptures. She also wears a bunch of clothes from there. Will really admired her kind spirit. Mrs. Hawthorne also knew about Will's predicament with losing one eye and the burn. It was confirmed when she spoke to her about it later on before class ended.

Then finally, there was fourth. Will's most hated class already. And not just because she wasn't a fan of English. But because the teacher, Ms. Ovenshire is impatient. And that's all Will was going to think about her before tomorrow.

After that, school let everyone back out into the storm ridden world of Heatherfield. Most of the police cars and such were still roaring by when the Guardians and Will stepped out into the world to scenes and such. Wherever they were headed. Will would gladly walk past and make her way back to the house. Or even better, follow those three girls anxiously leaving the school grounds. But she still needed to do what Kandrakar orders her to do. Which was community service.

Just as expected, there was a letter on a board by the office about volunteering relief efforts. It would make things interesting. You didn't really have to sign up or anything. Just sign in, label your school if you attend one, and zip code. And you can volunteer. This would give will a grand time to get herself some "Kandracar Kred," as she called it. So here they were, walking the hot streets towards the address through Taranee's phone, leading the charge. Since a majority of people were at work, it didn't take long to get there like it would if it was early in the morning. While they moved, Irma decided to voice her thoughts on Will's proposition this morning. No one had really said anything about it.

She scooted up to the free space behind her and said, "Will, about this 'Leaving Heatherfield' plan. Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Holding a water bottle and face donned with a pair of pink designer shades, Cornelia nodded and commented, "Yeah, I'm not too fond of that either, to be honest."

Will sighed and looked over her shoulder at them. "I know. I'm not too fond about it either. But what other choice do we have? Kandrakar doesn't want Earth to know for some reason, and our parents will indubitably find out. Especially since we're minors. Nearly adults, but still minors. So they'll definitely be informed. It's just a Plan B, girls. And I'm not the one calling the shots anyway. What do you think, Hay-Lin?"

Hay-Lin sighed and shrugged next to Taranee in front of them. "Let's just see what happens first before we make any rash decisions. Leaving Heatherfield... Is the equivalent of leaving our lives behind for a new future we have no idea of. So let's see how extreme this is first before we make any extreme decisions."

Will nodded and said, "Let's just... Get put in handcuffs first before anything else."

Taranee turned a corner, guiding them up to a line of people leading into a restaurant of some sort that Will's passed a few times but never paid attention to.

But standing in front of that building made them pause for a second. Police Officers. Or more specifically, Medina and McTiennan with a few more guys with laptops and cameras. Sitting at a table set up next to the doorway.

Will sighed and shrugged. "We're gonna get caught anyway," she muttered. Then walked around the girls and made moves for the table with Melissa following close behind. Hay-Lin shared a hesitant look with the others. Then with a shrug, threw it to the wind and followed after.

Medina and another officer seemed to be in a conversation of some sort involving a "missing piece" when Will stopped in front of their table, ceasing their conversation. Smiling up, Medina adjusted her glasses and asked, "Yes, can I help you?"

Will pointed to the building when the Guardians caught up to her. "Yeah, we're here to volunteer?"

Medina nodded and told them instructions while McTiennan looked the girls over. Where has he seen them before? Medina may have to use a notepad for everything, but he didn't need to go through ten pages of notes to remember stuff. Let alone a face. He's seen these girls somewhere.

Wrapping up the conversation, Will and the others started to walk towards a specific door away from the line before McTiennan called, "Wait, hold on."

Hay-LIn swiveled around and unceremoniously slapped one of her pigtails against Cornelia's left cheek. "Yes?"

McTiennan stared at them for a moment while slowly rubbing his stubbed beard in a curious manner. "Where have I... Ah, the Elyon Brown case. I know _you_ anywhere."

He nodded to Cornelia and her getup. She looked at herself then grinned back and replied, "Why thank you. Yeah, I like to stand out."

Medina smacked her lips open and fawned, "Oooohhh, right. You girls again. Stayin' out of trouble, right? Your hair is much longer than when I last remembered it."

They all except Melissa and Will nodded. "Good, let's make sure it stays that way, alright?"

Will nodded and responded, "Yep. What are you guys doing way down here anyway? Last I checked, Interpol was not in Heatherfield."

Medina looked to McTiennan for a brief second. Then back at Will and answered, "Doing some simple investigation into a few things flying around."

 _"Boom,"_ Will pinged. _"They're investigating us."_ Will nodded and responded aloud, "Alright. Well it's good seeing you."

"You... too." Medina watched Will and the other girls move through the door before looking to McTiennan. He apparently had the same thiught. That was strange.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

The tasks assigned were simple. Well the one Cornelia, Taranee, and Irma signed up for. They were helping out with food while Melissa, Hay-Lin, and Will decided to clean up. They were assigned at an old church that had collapsed. Nothing was in it. A crew was already there throwing pieces into a steel waste bin. They were happy to have some help. And had claimed that they've been here all day.

The church was surprisingly big. So during the three hour task, the girls took one area while other groups took another. Big heavy pieces were left alone by other groups, but they didn't have to worry about that.

Bending low and out of sight from other teams. Will flattened her sun white hand and slid it through a large steel bar so Hay-Lin could put it on wheelbarrow was pushing around.

Hay-Lin watched her from behind with crossed arms and asked, "Why _exactly_ would we leave Heatherfield?"

Cutting another piece, Will used her gloved hand to pass it to Hay-Lin and answered, "Well in case one of my crazy theories is correct. Our parents disown us, the government decides to keep a close eye on us, Heatherfield learns I was the one who trashed everything, if they want yo put us somewhere permanently that isn't our homes, one of us gets hurt by anyone who finds out... I have a lot of reasons."

Hay-Lin grabbed another from Will's hand and tossed it into Melissa's wheelbarrow. "I don't know, Will. I just feel like we're running away from the problem."

"And that's what we need to learn. What exactly _is_ the problem? Is it a sloppy Heatherfield, or is it the Government guys in it trying to find the ones who did it? Or the _**one**_ who did it? We don't have to run from Heatherfield. We've been living here for years. We don't have to fight the city. But we do need to avoid any law enforcement. And we can't avoid them on a world crawling with them everywhere we turn."

"Are we leaving _Earth_? As a whole?"

Will passed her another piece and answered, "We need to stay out of sight and hearing. I'm sure Kandrakar has enough room. And Elyon has some for you girls. She'll say I need to sleep in a dungeon."

"Yeah, have you even met Elyon?" Hay-Lin grabbed another piece and dropped it in the wheelbarrow. Then asked the girl texting, "So how's your family?"

Melissa glanced up and replied, "They're waiting for a train to come through. Or a bus if they can find one that comes up here. Samantha keeps asking about Will. I told her she's fine and that she ironically got her memories back after bonking her head on the floor."

Will glared at her for a second with a playful gleam in her eye. Smirking, she pointed at Melissa and said, "No sex."

Melissa gasped and nearly dropped the wheelbarrow while Hay-Lon laughed and asked, "Wait, since when did you guys have sex?"

Will sighed and answered, "On the same day I turned into Starfire. Actually, it was maybe an hour or some before. The day I went crazy."

Hay-Lin sighed and bit her lip. Will had been beating herself up ever since they had caught her. "Will you didn't 'go crazy,'" Melissa chided. She let the wheelbarrow go and walked over to kneel beside Will's nonchalant expression. "You just had a bad moment and it affected you."

"Which in turn affected everybody here in Heatherfield, the other worlds hidden behind the veil, and almost the entirety of Earth."

"But it didn't, that's the thing you're not looking at. If you were truly crazy, you would have pushed me off that ledge and went ahead and did it. But you didn't. You're a caring person, and you know it. And that's why I love you."

Will blushed and finished off the log they were cutting up. "I love you too, Melissa." Then leaned into her inviting embrace and allowed herself to be held tight.

"You two are cute." Hay-Lin dropped down beside them while Will used her power to discretely clear their area into the wheelbarrows. Finishing the job. "I'm envious."

While a few things flew past, Will turned to her and repeated, "Envious? What about you and Eric?"

Hay-Lin grabbed a rock from the ground and just stared at it in nostalgia. "We're... Not a thing anymore."

Will gasped loud and exclaimed, "Whaaat? How, what happened?"

"He found someone else. You had lost your memories at the time." Hay-Lin pulled her phone out her pocket and did some tickering for a moment. Then passed the phone to Will.

It was a screenshot of the conversation. Eric had said that he had gone out of town to the beach for vacation a few months before school ended and that he had met a girl there who he had met years ago in the past. And had an interest in. She had greatly returned his feelings. He was true to Hay-Lin but had a lot of things planned for this girl with no name. After awhile, he told Hay-Lin he was breaking up with her.

Will scoffed and floated the phone back to her with distaste. "What a jerk," she said.

Hay-Lin sighed and stuffed the phone back in her pocket. "Yeah, well... We were beginning to get cold anyway. To be honest, I was losing taste in him too. He was a nice guy, but... I lost feeling for him."

Will looked at Hay-Lin's expression a little closer. She was obviously keeping out details. Melissa would do it all the time. Hay-Lin had a look of longing on her face. Staring at the property in silence. Will knew _exactly_ what that meant. Melissa did too apparently. She decreed, "Ahhh, you have your eye on someone else too!"

Hay-Lin gawked and whipped back to them in shock. "Wh-What?! No I don't!"

Will pointed and exclaimed, "Yeah, you do! Come on, Hay. We've hung out long enough to read each other. Who's the guy?"

Hay-Lin blushed and looked back to the gravel ground. "Well um... It's Taranee."

Will and Melissa stared at her in silence for a moment. Interrupted by other groups moving past. Then at each other and back to her again. Melissa leaned in past Will and whispered, "Taranee? As in _our_ Taranee?" Hay-Lin sucked in her lips and nodded. "Whoa. Never would have guessed. So you're a lesbian?"

"Well... I don't know, I just like T."

"What makes you like Taranee?"

"She's... Shy, geeky... A nerd. One of those sweet girls that makes you laugh for being so cute. She's sweet... _Really_ sweet like the juiciest green apple! She has lively blue eyes that are the same color as the ocean. A gorgeous figure underneath that dress she wears. Seriously, have you guys ever seen Taranee's body? It's like perfect hourglass. We have gym together."

Will shook her head and said, "Can't say that I have. Then again, I'm not really paying attention to anyone's body except Melissa's and Cornelia's because she likes to show off. Have you talked to her?"

Hay-Lin bit her lip and shook her head. "I... Can't. She's just a crush."

Melissa laughed at that and said, "Yeah, right. If you talk about her like _that_ , she's more than 'just a crush.' You really care about her. A lot more than just a friend."

"I mean yeah. Like... She's like the only person here that can make me laugh. Irma's funny, but she's _Irma._ She can make anyone laugh. But she's also a friend. We have a good thing going on here now as friends and I don't want to ruin that."

Will shrugged and stood up from Melissa's embrace. "Yeah, that's true. But if you're really serious about her then you should try and talk to her eventually. You don't want to lose her. Especially with what's already happening." Will walked over to the largely stacked wheelbarrow and started pushing as if it were no sweat. Then added, "There's no telling how much time we have left."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

A few shattered windows of TechCom's luxurious building had been closed off by wooden planks earlier that day, blocking the afternoon sunlight from reaching Susan's cubicle among the other employees that would highlight the pictures of her family. Susan had to get some programming data in by eight. But she could barely focus. Even though her fingers flew across the keyboard, her mind were on other matters.

Like Will. And that lie she told. She said she and the girls had made it back to the house and Hay-Lin had hit her head. Hay-Lin hitting her head checked out, but getting inside? How?

Will didn't know it, but Susan had went home for lunch yesterday day and found Will's purse _and_ keys on the floor. She herself had placed them back in her purse but left it on the floor. Which meant Will actually locked herself out. So how did they get in?

Susan stopped typing and just stared at the screen in thought. She had checked all the locks and they were solid. No evidence of any forced entry, or anything else. Just like how they were left that morning.

"So how did she get in?" Susan muttered. She was starting to suspect Will was hiding things from her. Way before that lie. She doesn't want to tell her anything anymore. Will isn't the type of person to have secrets. But Susan was starting to question that belief now that she's getting older. When she was younger, Will was more open about issues and what was eating at her back in Fadden Hills. Now thiugh? She didn't even want to tell her the apparently extreme reason that had her climbing out of windows into the freezing cold.

That's it. Susan was going to have a talk with her tonight. Or... Or... Or she was taking her phone! Yeah!

Susan sighed and started typing once more. She'll think of something better.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

After Will had finished up today's community service to wrack up a few more hours on her forgiveness tour for Kandrakar, she and the Guardians moved on and began to head home. It was beginning to be late afternoon and some paperwork needed to be signed. During the trek back to their locations of residence, Melissa and Will were up to their shenanigans of cooing Hay-Lin out of her shell of self-doubt and moving her into Taranee. It was beginning to be annoying, but Hay-Lin could see they were just trying to give her a push. Literally.

Taranee could have read their minds just to see what the big deal was all about, but didn't need to do that to understand what it was about. Did she know about Hay-Lin's "Crush" they were talking about? Melissa made it very obvious earlier. Taranee had her own feelings about this and might talk them out later on in time. But definitely not to Will or Melissa. Thise two tigether were a mess, even if they were a match made in heaven.

Before long it was time for Will and Melissa to walk by themselves to their own block alone. Not entirely, but still just the two of them. Along the way, Will was just trying to come to terms with what she learned.

Using her hands, she placed an imaginary box to the left and right, going, "Hay-Lin and Taranee. Taranee and Hay-Lin. It'It's cute, but I'm just not seeing it. Are you?"

With an amused smirk, Melissa answered, "Eh, I see everything. The girls didn't see me liking you, or you liking me. But here we are." Melissa wrapped an arm around Will and pulled her in. "Close as two baby eggs."

" _That's_ a weird way to put it, but okay." Will brushed some red hair out from in front of her face and added, "But I see your point. Let's just hope that... Wait."

Melissa stopped walking with Will and looked to her focused expression. Her eyes were trained on the distance eyeing something. But Melissa herself couldn't make it out. Going into defensive mode, Melissa asked, "What is it? What do you see?"

Will shook her head. Then grabbed Melissa's hand and pulled her back the way they came. "I feel something. The same thing I felt when I started ripping apart the veil."

"And what was that?"

"The holes, the _rifts_. I think I forgot one." Will could just feel Melissa's disbelieving eyes on her. "Don't give me that look, we have to go check it out. It's around here somewhere."

She let go of Melissa's hand and ran with her for back downtown. Then turned a sudden left, heading for the beach. _"Girls! I think we may have a problem,"_ Melissa pinged.

Hay-Lin was the first to respond. _"Talk to me."_

 _"Will says she feels an open rift."_

 _"How can you **feel** an open rift?"_

Will shook her head and answered, _"My powers are much stronger than all of yours. I'm just going by what I felt when I was Starfire. Just stay on, I'll let you know what we find."_

After a few minutes, Will slowed to a jog at the busy intersection they were on across from the beach. Then moved onto the boardwalk to look around. The water was clear and a few people were out here relaxing. But the two were anxiously scanning the environment. Will hummed and looked closer. Sometimes a rift could be on the ground. It could be anywhere. "Uh... Will?"

Will turned to Melissa and followed her finger. Then groaned at the target. There was a small rift all right, leading to somewhere. But all around it were people taking pictures, daring the other to touch it.

Will stomped her foot and yelled, "Fuck!" Then took a deep breath and stroked her head of hair. _"Alright. Good news? We found the rift."_

 _"So there **is** still one more left open," _Taranee assumed.

 _"Yeah. Bad news? It's already been seen and is taking a bunch of selfies with other people. The only way to close it now is with Quintessence lightning. And I really don't want to cause any attention."_ Will hoisted herself over the safety rail and dropped down to the sand below with Melissa. Then began to calmly approach the comotion.

 _"Well we have to do something,"_ Irma stated. _"The FBI probably doesn't even know about this."_

Cornelia inputted, _"They will if it's on Social Media... Which I just found. Whoo, this is a great photographer. It looks exactly like a light blue vagina in front of a sunset."_

Melissa snickered and asked, _"What is wrong with you?"_

Will stopped and looked around for a moment to address their attention. A few guys were looking her way but that was to be expected. Same for Melissa grabbing her around the waist in jealousy. They weren't taking her girl. Ignoring it, Will spotted a secluded spot away from the attention. A closed Ice Cream popup. Will pointed over there to it and walked over with Melissa. _"I'm going to scare them off,"_ Will decided. _"It's much easier than shooting a bolt of Quintessence first."_

Once they reached its hidden side in between another closed front, Will and Melissa looked around. Then Will kneeled down and disabled the glamour keeping the Remnants out of sight. She couldn't truly use all of her power with them hidden for some reason. She wasn't one to question it though. Once they were in sight, Will kneeled behind the stand and stretched out her hand towards the rift in the distance. _"Alright, I'm going to use wind and a little fire. Fire always scares people."_

 _"Great idea but try not to blow it up," Taranee whimpered and added, "I'm so happy I'm not there. I don't think I could do that."_

Hay-Lin jumped in and said, _"I'm sure you'd do a great job helping Will scare people."_

 _"Aww, thanks."_

Will and Melissa slowly looked up to each other with knowing smirks. Hay-Lin was slowly making her move. She wasn't there yet, and very careful but she would be it seems. Will sighed and focused back on the task: Closing that rift. _"Alright. Here we go."_

Will closed her eyes and used fire. Melissa blinked down at her for a second. Then focused on the portal when a small ball of fire at the top popped like a small firecracker. Those taking pictures quickly stepped back while a few more popped around it. Melissa rapidly nodded her head and looked around for anyone. "Alright, they're spooked. It's best to close it now."

Will stood up then brought her hand up. Palm to the ground and fingers spread, she used Quintessence that she fired straight into the portal with a large boom. Melissa had to cover her ears from the intensity while everyone else yelled and ran around. The rift wiggled around a bit then stitched itself closed, ceasing anymore interaction.

Once it was closed. Will lowered her hand and applied the glamour once more. And stood up to watch the people leave. _"Alright the portal's..."_ Will narrowed her eyes and focused for a moment on the air around her. Listening in. Voice carry through the wind. And they carry quickly. Will reached out to Melissa and lightly grabbed her arm. Then swiveled around. Someone eeped and ran the other way. Someone with short red hair.

Will growled and pinged, _"We've been seen_ _It's Stacy Vanhooven! I know that noise **anywhere**!" _Will immediately ran after her. Followed by Melissa.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Stacy's short red hair was becoming windswept as she ran for her life. Her light blue eyes were wide in fear as she ran in front of cars across street away from the beach, forcing them to a stop.

That was Will! Will Vandom has superpowers?!! Holy shit, and her friend there _knew_ about it! Cecelia had to know about this. Pushing a few people aside, Stacy looked over her shoulder and saw them sprinting to catch up. Will and... Melissa! That was her name! Both of them were running after her. And that jewelry Will had on before was gone.

Stacy yelled a little and ran as fast as she could back home. Grunting, Will pinged, _"Girls, I could use some help. I'll follow Stacy but I can't intimidate the three of them alone."_

Hay-Lin was immediately on board. _"Sure, where are you headed?"_

 _"I'll come too,"_ Taranee inputted.

 _"We're headed into the city,"_ Melissa pinged. _"But she's fast."_

While Will and Melissa lagged behind, Stacy all of a sudden turned left, going out of view. "Dammit, I can't run like this," Will snarled. She turned into an alley followed by Melissa. Then cut open a rift leading onto the top of this three floor building next to them. Once Melissa was through, Will closed it back and jogged to the ledge to watch. Taking a knee, Will watched the red hair below move back where they came from on this street below before crossing directly across into another alley.

Will stood up and hummed. Then turned into Starfire. Her red eye trained on Stacy. _"Girls, meet Melissa on a rooftop next to... McDonalds. Then I'll ping you my location."_

 _"Be careful, Will,"_ Hay-Lin warned. _"Don't do anything without thinking."_

 _"Wouldn't dream of it."_ Will shared a kiss with Melissa. Then zipped into the air with her eyes on her tiring witness.

Finding enough to be enough, Stacy slowed to a stop nearly four blocks away. Then looked over her shoulder and everywhere else before taking in lungfuls of air. "Will... Has... Powers," she wheezed. Then looked around once more before moving along at a much slower pace. She lost them. Even with asthma, she lost them.

She missed that shadow on the wall that shrunk out of sight once her back was turned.

A few more minutes later, she reached the bridge connecting Heatherfield to another city. The Guardians' old training spot. Way before the beach. There was a few more things nearby like an old worn out warehouse Stacy jogged to. Then cast one last look back before heading out of sight to the back.

She stopped at the door and knocked in a pattern. Then looked back before it was opened and she was pulled in.

Cecelia closed the door and turned to her sister with hope in her eyes. "So did you get it?"

 _Oh crap, I forgot about the..._ Stacy sighed and answered, "No, I didn't get it."

Cecelia growled and punched the door in anger. Then grabbed her sister's collar and hoisted her up a little so she could stare into her hopeless eyes with tears in her own. "Dammit, Stacy, you had one fucking job!"

Clearly crying, Stacy stammered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was distracted!"

"What's going on?" They looked deeper into the dark warehouse when Mary rose up out of a huge bundle of colorful blankets. Across from her was a bunch of stuff like their bags for school and trash. Along with a few more bags. Mary was clearly tired. She rubbed her eyes and waited for an answer.

Cecelia turned to Stacy and repeated, "Yeah, what exactly is going on? I thought I told you to get dinner! What had you so distracted?!"

"Those blue lights!" Stacy answered quickly. She pried herself out of Cecelia's grip and added, "There was one more on the beach. I was heading to the stop when I spotted Will and Melissa."

Ceceliaa grabbed her arms and asked, "What? You were distracted by the geeky duo? Seriously?!"

"No, no, not them exactly. They were watching the blue light on the beach like everyone else, but... W-Will did something! She had all of this golden jewelry and was doing something with her hand. Then the light started popping and scaring people. Then she fired a lightning bolt at it! I'm not joking, I'm so serious!! You _had_ to have heard that... That **boom!** "

Cecelia let her go and looked back to Mary in curiousity. She returned it before they both focused back on Stacy.

Stacy pointed to the door and yelled, "I know what I saw and heard!! I was running back because they were running after me. But I think I lost them. Will has superpowers like those girls yesterday!!"

Cecelia sighed and reached out to tenderly stroke Stacy's head. "Are you sure you saw that?" Right before someone knocked on their steel door lightly. And timidly.

Cecelia, Stacy, and Mary all held their breaths. Eyes on the door. Mary immediately lifted the blankets and hid under them while Cecelia grabbed Stacy. She pulled her over to hide behind a large beam. Then quieted her with, "Shush." The building was quiet. Really quiet. Right before the sound of talking started to resonate around the large space.

Cecelia held Stacy closer to her body, staying as silent as possible while someone talked. The the door fell open and landed on the floor loud.

Someone walked in first and blantantly said, "Knock knock." Clearly an older woman. Cecelia's heart stopped.

Starfire walked further in first and looked around before the others filed in. Then stopped in the doorway. Will sighed and shook her head. "Are... Are Cecelia and her sister's homeless?" She whispered.

Hay-Lin walked past her and looked around. "We can ask them once we find them. Stacy saw you, right?"

Starfire nodded and answered, "Yeah. _Someone_ was supposed to be watching but—"

Melissa lightly poked her and said, "Hey, I'm rattled from your lightning, cut me some slack."

Taranee looked around and assessed the room. There was literally nothing here. It was just a big concrete slab with steel beams for the structure around them. There was stuff sticking out of the floor they had to be careful for, but that wasn't really important. Beside the lump of huge blankets, and the familiar bags of Cecelia, Stacy, and Mary there was nothing else. But they were here.

Will nudged Melissa then pointed to the support beams above. Cecelia heard a bit of buzzing before small but still noticeable footsteps from above. Were they on the ceiling?! She wouldn't dare peek out. Not with her little sister here in her arms.

"Star, give us some light. I know you can."

Will groaned from above but put her hands together to create small balls of electricity. Then dropped them down to the Guardians. "Stacy~, I know you're in here!" She called. "Come out because we have to talk."

In the middle of the room, Hay-Lin ordered, "Earth, check their bags to see if there's any phones. If so, erase them. Water, check those blankets."

"Hey, girls?" They all looked up to the ceiling at Will and Melissa. Will pinged, _"Follow my lead."_ Then said, "Block the exits. Let's burn this place with them in it. Because they're obviously not coming out and I'm hungry. We don't need any witnesses."

Taranee turned to Hay-Lin and shrugged. Clearly playing along. She sould never go for that if Will was serious. "Why not?"

Cecelia's heart was clearly racing. Stacy could hear it in her chest. As well as the one beating out of her own. Will dropped down from above and did something that lit the steel walls up to an orange color. "You have three seconds, Stacy! Three... Two—"

Stacy put her head up to the ceiling and yelled, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I won't tell anyone, I promise, I swear!"

Starfire distinguished the flames and looked towards the steel beams near the exit. Raising her hand palm up to it, she said, "We really should check near the door whenever we do invasions, guys. They were right there."

"Not all of them." Cornelia reached down and pulled off the shivering blankets. Revealing Mary wearing a pair of dirty pajamas. "I got Mary here."

Mary stopped shivering on the ground and looked at the tall woman in front of her. She was much taller than Cecelia. She had long flowing blonde hair wearing a bluish-green, and purple outfit. A pink dress with a strange design around her navel, and a crop top that leaves her shoulders bared. And... Wings?!

Cornelia held her hand out to offer her to help. "Come on, I won't hurt you. I have a little sister myself.

Mary glanced up at her unsure before timidly placing her hand into hers. Then allowed herself to be helped up. She trained her sights on the astounding girls themed with pink, purple, and green. Except the one who just looked plain evil. All black with black wings, different lights bearing gold on her wrists and ankles, and a deep blood one around her neck.

She didn't know who these girls were, but she didn't want to take any chances. Mary immediately raised her hands and yelled, "I-I-I don't know what's going on here! I swear, please don't hurt me!"

Will sighed while Taranee led the other two out. Cecelia eyed them just like her sisters. The light colored ones were kind looking, but the dark colored one definitely wasn't. With her own hands raised, Cecelia pleaded, "L-Look, I don't know what my sister saw, but we didn't see anything. We can keep a secret."

Will walked over past Hay-Lin and looked around. "Do you guys live here?"

Celeia watched her move and immediately answered, "Yes. No parents or anything, you don't have to worry, we'll keep quiet."

The Guardians exchanged sad glances. Even the evil one with the kind one. She looked back to the sisters and sighed, "Yeah, well... That eventually won't matter. Because they're already looking into us." Starfire's body shimmered and flashed fir a second, forcing Mary and the others to cover their eyes. Then Will stood in Starfire's place. Long red emo-hair and everything.

Cecelia gawked at her then looked up at the Guardians. She pointed at Melissa and stammered, "You're... You..."

Melissa placed her arm around Will's shoulders while juggling a ball of light in the other and said, "Yeah, it's me Melissa. What happened here, why do you girls live in an abandoned warehouse?"

Cecelia slowly lowered her hands and stroked her face. "Our parents... They were killed back in Fadden." The room got deathly silent. Will was trying to process that. These girls were orphans? Cecelia continued, "They owed money to some pretty negative people.vWe moved down here by force after the guys who did it learned about us. They dropped us off, put a gun to our heads and said never tell anyone. They watch us. Some of them are still around somewhere in Heatherfield."

Irma asked, "Do the police know about your parents?"

"In Fadden more than likely."

Will asked, "How'd you get in school?"

"Mom and Dad were moving us before they died," Stacy admitted.

"And _why_ haven't you tried telling anyone?"

Melissa rolled her eyes and scolded, "They're clearly scared, Will."

"Oh."

Hay-Lin facepalmed and said, "Alright. Well get you a much nicer place. You just need to tell the police and we'll provide protection for as long as we can. Well... She can do better than that." She pointed her thumb to Will. "You hear that Star? No throttling the girls."

"Yeah, I get it. I already don't like this. Are you guys hungry? Need some food? I can't believe you girls have been going hungry this whole time. You moved in when Melissa did so you've been out here for quite some time."

Cecelia said, "Y-Yeah. Stacy was supposed to get food, but she was distracted."

Will nodded. Then sliced open a rift. Turning to Hay-Lin she said, "I'll be back. Keep an eye out and an ear open. Then we seriously need to start heading home." Then she walked through the rift that sealed itself once again.

Cecelia pulled Mary into her chest and asked, "A-Are you girls the reason the FBI are around?"

Hay-Lin looked to the ceiling, eyeing the darkening sky. It was time for them to get home. "Yeah. Let's just say we've been fighting someone way stronger who was attempting some suicidal moves. I'm not going to say much, but she was going to collide the worlds together and crush everything. Including herself. And we couldn't let that happen. The fight came here and... She's a strong one."

The red rift split open again. And out came Will holding a crate of fruits and vegetables. "Okay, so Meridian is pretty much still regrowing farmland, but the Queen didn't hesitate. Then dropped a big 'ol crate in my arms herself." Will used her foot to kick the rift shut in some amazing way. Then placed the crate on the ground. "Bon appetit. For now. Tell the school tomorrow about what happened in Fadden, seriously so you can have a much better place to sleep than a wwarehouse's concrete foundation."

Cecelia darted forward and wrapped her arms around Will's neck, nearly giving her a heart attack. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much."

Will sighed at the contact, but smiled in the end and hugged her back. She could honestly use one of these right now. "You're welcome."

After Cecelia pulled back, she sighed and glanced to the ground in shame. "And I've been treating you like crap ever since I got here."

Irma crossed her arms and corrected, "You've been treating _everyone_ like crap."

"Yeah. I truly am sorry. I'm not really like that, I promise. I just have to watch out for my sisters now. So intimidation is our only weapon to keep others back." Will has never seen Cecelia so sad before. It was like looking at a shivering puppy with big eyes.

Will placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey. I understand. I know what Fadden is like: Rough and tumble. And all about money. Just promise me you'll stop. It's easier living peacefully than looking for trouble. And Heatherfield isn't really a bad place. You just have to watch who you're talking to. How's your face?"

Cecelia wiped off the makeup with her hand to expose the shiner Will was so kind to gift her with and answered, "It still hurts."

"Eh. You're a tough girl. It'll heal up fine."

"Girls?" Melissa pointed to the darkness beyond the open door and stated, "We have to head home. Pretty sure our parents want us back by now."

Will turned back to Cecelia and pointed to her face. "You three saw nothing, you three heard nothing, you're telling the school's resource officer tomorrow about your predicament, no matter how embarrassing it is. We'll help watch your back as long as we can before we get nabbed."

Will tuturned around and sliced open a rift. Then jumped in with the others. Hay-Lin waved her fingers to them then was the last to jump in before the red rift closed. Cecelia and her sisters stared at it blankly for a moment. Then down at the strange food in front if her. Sighing, she shrugged and decided, "Well let's try it out."

W~I~T~C~H

Even though the living room TV was on, Susan was more focused on the phone in her hand. She leaned back into the leather couch and sighed. She herself had gotten home a little over two hours ago and found Dean reading to William. He did say he was going to pick him up.

Then they just waited for the door to open. Like it just did. Susan looked over her shoulder. Then stood up, crossed her eyes, and eyed Will as she walked in. She didn't even notice her mother staring. Once the door closed, Susan asked, "And where have you been?"

Will jumped and looked into the living room. Then took a calming breath. "Oh... Hey, mom."

"Will where have you been, I've been worried sick." Susan dropped the phone carelessly on the couch and walked around over to her. "I wanted to talk to you but you weren't home."

"Oh, I was just out with the girls. Helping clean up the city." At least it's partly true.

Susan sighed. Then said, "That's great, sweetheart. It really is but we still need to talk. Come on." Susan walked back over to the couch with Will. Then sat on one side while her daughter was mirroring her. Susan muted the TV then huffed out some hot air. "Will... I want to _really_ know how you got in the house. You said you girls got in during the storm, but... I don't know about that."

Will's heart stopped a bit before she instinctively answered, "I used the house key."

Unamused, Susan slowly shook her head, clearly not buying that. "Will, your key was on the floor when I came home earlier that same day for lunch. Don't lie to me."

Will gulped down her fear and said, "Mom, isn't it enough that we were all safe?"

"Of course, sweetie. And I am relieved that you are. But you also aren't telling me about why you left the house in the freezing cold and got hurt because of it. That was already weird. Then you somehow got in the house without a key. I can't help but feel these are connected somehow. And you're not telling me. I can only help you with as much as I know. And I need to know more. Then this weird storm came up that had the military scrambled over here with those... Those weird girls flying, shooting lightning bolts, fire, all types of stuff. It's all over the news."

Susan pointed to the television where they were playing a clip on CNN with a discussion about... A picture of Melissa?! She was guiding a woman and some guy somewhere. How did they get that?! Susan tapped her to get her to focus once again. Then said, "Will, I don't know what's going on. And I know this may sound crazy, but I don't want you involved in any violence, or any danger like this okay?"

 _Three years too late mom,_ Will thought. Then nodded in response. She had to let the girls know about this. Tomorrow though. It was too late and she was tired.


	25. Suspects

**Suspects...**

Medina was sure they were all missing something in that intersection feed. It was a nagging feeling in her mind. Like a bug in the house that you know is around but can't seem to get. Thus the reason she was up the next morning before the guys at night got off and reviewing the footage herself that the FBI had gotten their hands on in a meeting room.

The table she set up at was littered with notes she took yesterday along with a computer her eyes were trained on. Save for the lamp by the doors behind her, the room was dark, alone, and her eyes were trained on the screen. Her determination was high, intent on finding what was missing. She played the clip back more than a dozen times. The streets were normal, then a bright white flash, then chaos involving three car wrecks, the girl wearing all black, then those purple, green, and pink girls. They were from Earth, based off the evidence from the National Guard. The FBI really wanted these girls for some reason.

But where exactly were they from? Medina tapped her pen against her notepad. Then sighed and played it back it once again. She paid close attention to everything this time. The cars, roofs, lights. It was imperative that—wait! Medina paused the feed. And reversed it to the original setting. There. Who's that with the red hair in the bottom right corner? Before the flash, she was standing still. Not moving, no phone, nothing. Staring straight ahead. Medina kept her eye on that spot during the flash. And after it faded... Where did she go?! She was gone. No deep thick red hair anywhere.

Medina gasped and wrote down a missing figure with deep red hair and an outfit of red. Caucasian. Maybe five foot nine. Gold bangles and anklets. Medina picked up her phone and dialed McTiennan. She found something. In the time of the flash someone with this description had disappeared. And they were nowhere to be seen.

While McTiennan was more than likely struggling to answer the phone, Medina watched everything else to see if anyone else had disappeared. Boom, two more! A tall girl with blonde hair hiding behind another with black hair maybe five foot eight. High School age. They _**both**_ disappeared! And in their places stood the much taller women with wings.

Medina focused on the spots where the other women were and played it back. There were six figures that had disappeared, all teenagers. She could make them out a little, but they were too far out.

Finally after another call, McTiennan finally woke his big self up and answered, "Small Fry, this better be good."

Medina immediately answered, "Joel, I found something. Six figures disappeared in between the time the flash lasted. And they were replaced by the targets. We have to look into this. Get up and get down here."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Melissa was speechless just like the rest of the Guardians at their table later on that same morning. When Will sat down, she slid her phone to the middle and allowed them to check out the photo of Melissa. Swallowing her food and adjusting her glasses, Taranee commented, "That's a really clear picture."

Melissa slowly shook her head and whispered, "I didn't even know they took it. I was guiding a helicopter crew out of a crashed news chopoer. Someone must've taken the picture. I'm _sooo_ sorry."

Will sighed and replied, "It's not your fault. You were trying to get people out, not worrying about cameras. Either way, they don't have pictures of us in our human forms. So we're okay."

"Uhhh, Will? You may want to rethink that." Cornelia added her own phone to the mix and pointed to an image she just received. They all leaned in and blanched. There it was.

Cornelia just happened to ironically be on Twitter at the time Will said that. And a trending image from the intersection had all of their faces circled in red. They were hard to make out, but the message on the tweet was clear: FBI wants answers from 'Key witnesses.' Have you seen these girls?

Will gulped and stammered in a whisper, "O-Okay, they don't know it's us yet. They just said Key Witnesses."

Cornelia shook her head and stated, "Well _of course_ they'd say that. They wouldn't release all the details about their finds."

Hay-Lin pointed her thumb to Cornelia and said, "She's right. If the FBI is in on this, then there are more details they're not telling us."

Will sighed and asked, "So what do we do?"

Hay-Lin stroked her hair and answered, "We'll remain inconspicuous. So far we're key witnesses, nothing else. Innocent. So we remain normal until we learn what it is they really want. Just like Will said, we're peaceful. Nothing else. So basically, nothing. Not until we're arrested because we all know we will be."

Melissa sighed, "I'm not afraid of these guys. I'm just afraid of my parents' reaction when they find out."

Will admitted, "Mom cornered me when I got home last night. That lie I told her about us getting in the house caught up with me. I actually left my keys on the floor inside so there was no way I could have gotten in the house."

Taranee seethed from across and asked, "How did that go?"

"She said she didn't want me involved in whatever's on TV."

"Three years too late. We have a lot of experience dealing with tough guys. Even without powers. Like that one time we lost our abilities?"

Will smirked and nodded. "Yeah. Cornelia decided to take over that day."

Melissa made an amused snort at Cornelia's clearly tired one and asked, "You did what?"

Will giggled at Cornelia's slightly offended face while she answered, "I got everyone's power and turned into a behemoth, end of story." The bell rang, ceasing the pre-schooling relaxation and starting classes.

Will and Melissa stood up with their bags and hands together. Melissa smiled and said, "Keep in touch." Then pulled a waving Will along for class.

Just like every morning the halls were crowded. Students were talking, texting, laughing before the danger of teachers commenced. Will stopped with Melissa at her locker for whatever it was she was looking for. Then leaned against it, crossed her arms, and pinged, _"So what are you hoping for?"_

"Honestly?" Melissa grabbed the locker door and closed it. Then turned to Will and answered, "I don't know. This is all new to me, and being discovered is apparently new to you guys."

Will smiled and grabbed Melissa's hand to stroke her thumb across. "It's okay. I'm not gonna leave you, and I know you're not gonna leave me. We love each other too much for that."

Melissa sighed but smiled her girlfriend's way. Lifting a hand, she cupped the right side of her face behind the curtain of hair. "Yeah, I do," she whispered. Then leaned in and shared a soft kiss with her full of emotion.

In the middle of it, Will opened her eyes and trained the available one on the area behind her. A bunch of commotion was going on that caused Melissa to pull away and look too. The halls were filled with a bunch of kids like Uriah and his goons, Alchemy, and a few more Will knew watching the police escort three students out of the office. Three students they knew and locked eyes with.

Melissa sighed and said, "Looks like Cecelia did it." Cecelia was holding her two sisters in her arms when they were led out the door. By a few officers. One of them caught sight of Will and narrowed his eyes at her. Will wasn't even paying attention to him. She smiled at Cecelia and nodded, hoping they can at least get some closure.

Cecelia smiled back and did the same. Then allowed herself to be filed out with her sisters between two or three detectives. Once they were out of sight, Will gripped the strap on her red bag and said, "We should head to class. Come on." Grabbing Melissa's hand she took the lead for her father's classroom. Hopefully the police would watch out for Cecelia once they were arrested. Because they might not ever see her again.

~TLO~

The silence of Kandrakar rang true in Himerish's ears. His thoughts though were trained on the floating depiction of Earth. The other Council members had vacated the Chamber hall and went to do their own thing, leaving him time to think.

These Guardians were truly special. Even though they knew they were going to be caught, they still pushed on. Yan-Lin told him about their plan earlier and he honestly didn't know how to react. Earth had always been in the dark for a reason. Way before C.H.Y.K.N, the Guardians nearly five generations ago had the same idea. It didn't work out so well. Theories of a different universe came up and they were interrogated to extreme lengths.

He promised himself he would never allow that to happen again. But the humans had become smarter. More humane and logical. Thankfully the Guardians had a backup if things did become worse. Will.

Himerish hummed and created the current depiction of Will Vandom aka Starfire, former Guardian of the Veil, now Holder of the Remnants. The first known person to _ever_ find the Remnants and use them to their max. The remnants were no longer a legend, they're real. And Will can't remove them. No one can unless she's deceased.

If things do go down the wrong way, then it will fall on Will's shoulders. She's the only one powerful enough to take all of them on. Himerish could only hope it wouldn't reach that point. But this feeling in his mind underneath his bald head told him otherwise.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

After the images were printed, it was time for the police to head out and look around on their routes. That left the detectives and FBI to the video clips. As is procedure, they headed to different stores around the region for different cameras. Those girls had to have walked there to that intersection. They were more than likely seen on other cameras.

Medina was paired up with an FBI Specialist. Special Agent Sierra Donnel. She was a tough girl at six feet. Mixed race, long curly brown hair, intense dark brown eyes with square frame glasses trained on the road. Mind on the task.

While they drove past TechCom, Medina asked from the passenger seat, "So why's the FBI in town?"

"That's classified," she answered. Her voice was as cold as that sentence. No emotion or anything. "But it involves these five girls you all speak of greatly."

Before long, Sierra parked the car horizontally in front of a computer shop a few yards away from downtown and hopped out with Medina holding the laptop in hand to head for the store. The inside of the shop was clear. Not a lot of business this day.

Medina sighed unheard through her nose and waited to Sierra to talk to the boss in charge. Then navigate into the back room holding the cameras.

It was about as big and as a deep closet, but they weren't worried about the space. They worked in silence, going back in time via computer. They'd get a better picture of the redhead from before the square. Sierra suddenly paused the playback and pointed. "Got her."

The image was a bit jittery but the subject was clear and center. All red with jewelry and heading for the scene two minutes before the disaster. But something seemed... Strange.

Medina reached in her pocket and pulled out the folded printed up image of the TechCom roof at the time of the attack. When the girl in black was in charge. They had a grand photo of her front. She hummed and looked between the two. Then gasped and stated, "We're in trouble."

Sisrra nonchalantly shook her head and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Medina carefully set the images down then pointed to their necks and jewelry. "They both have the same kind. Nothing changed at that square but these girls. In that flash, these girls somehow changed into these... Grown women. Including whoever this is."

Sierra picked up the image and asked, "Doesn't she look familiar though? Like we've seen her very recently?"

Medina nodded and answered, "Yeah. She looks like... Holy Shit!" Medina grabbed the paper and said, "Will Vandom. Out of all the people we saw yesterday, she's the only one I remember with long red hair like this. Let's run this by the station first before we do anything else. But I definitely know it's her. And the other five may have been those five girls with her. These aren't key witnesses, these are our girls. It would explain _sooo_ much."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

Lunch was boring without the other gitls sometimes. Melissa was great and all, but you can't have a party with just two. They didn't have a lot of friends here just their little group of seven. Not too much.

A few of the students decided that they would eat out in the warm air today. So the two of them grabbed a tree. Melissa had her head in Will's lap while she had her back pressed against the trunk. Will comfortably stroked her hair, eyeing the street in front of them beyond the fence. It was quiet at the moment, no one around, no one talking.

"This is nice." Will blinked and looked down into Melissa's peaceful face. She had her arms clasped behind her head and had her light brown eyes closed.

Will whispered, "Yeah it is, 'Lissa." Then leaned down and softly pecked her lips. This was one of the best things you could ever manage. Spending time with the one you love. And Will cherished it.

"Will Vandom?" The two of them jumped and nearly screamed at the deep voice from above and behind. "Melissa Cordeau?"

They turned around to look up into the face of not one, not two, but four police officers. With Principal Knickerbocker and a school resource officer. The guy in the front had his hand on his gun but still in the holster. "We need you to come with us. Now. Stand up and put your hands behind your head."

By this point, they had to have gathered an annoying crowd, but Will and Melissa slowly complied. At their command, they turned around and allowed themselves to be arrested. _"Girls, it's happening,"_ Melissa pinged. "Will and I are being arrested."

 _"Hay and I are too!"_ Taranee yelled. _"Owww, these things really hurt!"_ Will and Melissa were quickly shuffled towards an entrance in the gate and soon caught sight of Taranee, Hay-Lin, Irma, and Cornelia. All being moved towards one out of the four FBI cars in front of the building. Will took in a few deep breaths. Today was the day. These guys didn't waste any time tracking them down. Two days.

Will was pretty sure she heard Dean in the background yelling before Melissa and herself were shoved into the back of their cruiser. Then cautiously fastened with a seatbelt and door closed. Will looked out the window and bit her lip at the sight of her dad. He was outside already on the phone yelling. More than likely to mom.

She sighed and focused her eyes forward on the camera trained on them in the cruiser. _They did nothing wrong,_ Will thought. Right before the cruisers started moving. She and Melissa shared an unsure glance in fear of their future. What now?

W~I~T~C~H

When Susan got the call she was on her way to a meeting with Keitlyn. Being they both worked in the same department they would see each other daily. Walk the same carpeted floors, move to the same area at times, everything. When her phone rang, she picked it up and looked at the Caller ID. The name forced her to a pause.

Dean. Something happened. Answering she answered, "Hello?"

Keitlyn stopped walking and watched Susan's face slowly change from businesswoman to horrified mother. "What?!" She yelled. A few nearby stopped what they were doing and shot her an irate look. But Susan didn't care. Dropping her papers she asked, "When, why?... How?"

Susan listened for a second then locked eyes with Keitlyn. "FBI?!... Okay, okay, we're on our way." Susan hung up and said, "Will, Melissa, their entire possey was arrested by the FBI a few minutes ago."

"What?!" Keitlyn yelled. She moved past Susan and for the elevator while she picked up her papers. "Why?!"

"I don't know but they were put in handcuffs and shipped off."

Keitlyn couldn't believe it. Her daughter had never been arrested before, and she wouldn't believe Will was either. She was such a sweet girl. Keitlyn had to get her father on the phone. Now.


	26. In Custody

**...In Custody**

It didn't take too long to get Will and her friends back to the main precinct downtown. Based off of the intel they had gathered, these girls were really dangerous if all of their suspicions were truly accurate. Thus the reason the FBI's task force was standing by. While they were being grouped up, Medina and McTiennan decided to be in the same room as the FBI specialists assigned to the case. They were going to be asking questions as well as getting information. Special Agent Sierra Donnel and Special Agent David Matthews. Pretty much the African-American version of Joel. He just wore glasses. Six feet tall, short black and perfectly cut hair with dark brown unreadable eyes. When Medina and McTiennan walked in they were already preparing for the questioning.

The room they were in was pretty much standard. A large one way window on one side and a wide table in the middle with chairs for them, and more special chairs for the girls. While Medina and McTiennan had the evidence folder containing all the screenshots and notes, these guys had a much larger stacked folder. Whatever the FBI had going on with these girls was a lot more than them.

Sierra looked up to them and stated, "They're on their way with the girls right now."

Medina sighed and sat in the seat next to her while Joel took the one next to David Matthews. Then said, "Their parents are on their way here too. They'll be held in the observation room just to listen in."

Sierra nodded and grabbed the large thick folder they had brought with them.

The downtown precinct was large. It was connected to a courthouse _and_ a jail. Well apparently, they weren't making any sudden stops for the Courthouse since they drove past it. Will didn't know why, but she was a little happy for that. For some strange reason.

They turned on a public street on the side and rode down a little before taking an immediate right into a garage packed with other cars. Will locked eyes with Hay-Lin and Taranee in one cruiser on her right while Cornelia and Irma were more than likely on their left. These guys must've rehearsed. Unlike when they were arrested, thee people in here were a lot less subtle. The ones who arrested them were the men and women in blue holding small pistols while the ones in here were holding full blown assault rifles and had on vests military style. Reading FBI on their fronts and back. They eyed the vehicles while the drivers parked. Then moved in to open the doors.

They opened Will's side and grabbed her arm to pull her out of the car. Not too rough but definitely not gentle. _"Okay, girls,"_ Hay-Lin pinged. _"This is it. Whatever they want, we're involved. So let's keep quiet."_

 _"I'm already pleading the fifth,"_ Cornelia stated. While the girls got one or two officers, Will just had to get manhandled by four. Two were holding her shoulders while another pair were gripping her biceps hard. Then they were led up to the thick steel door at the end. A Heatherfield Police Officer walked past and used a card that he pressed against a gray pad with a red dot on it that turned green. Then pulled it open, letting them in.

The hallway they were walking into was cold and desolate. No one was around except for them and their little group of the arrested and the police. No windows, no doors, nothing. Just bright white lights above and white bricked walls.

There was another pair of steel doors at the end that was unlocked next, letting them into the holding area of the precinct. Cell doors lined the halls with tiny slotted windows at the top. But they moved past those too. Irma's been down here a few times, but since her dad doesn't work here, it's rare. She admitted, _"I have no idea where we're going."_

 _"Welcome to the club,"_ Cornelia responded spitefully. _"Because none of us do. How're you doing, Will?"_

She didn't answer. Emotionless eyes to the ground, her mind was plagued with different things that could happen once they were found out in the interrogation room that they were definitely going to. Here parents were going to find out what she did. It's easy to believe she was the ring leader behind all of what happened. And the police had proof of that. Her thoughts were so deep she didn't even hear Melissa reassure her that everything was going to be okay. Maybe for them. But if things got bad, she wouldn't be going anywhere.

They stopped at a single steel door flanked by another. No windows, no label. The officer leading the charge unlocked it with his card and pushed it open, letting them into the room holding those same two faces Will immediately recognized.

Medina and McTiennan were sitting on the outside of two more police officers. Correction, Federal Agents. They were wearing blue jackets with the yellow font and term FBI on them. They eyed their nonchalant expressions when they were led in with their own expressions of surprise. These girls were really young and small up close compared to the estimations based off the images. But there was no doubt. Will bore a strong resemblance to the girl that trashed the city. Just a younger version.

The FBI sat them down in the six chairs and moved to the side. Then the door was closed and all was silent for a few seconds save for their breathing. Sighing, Medina started off with, "Once again we see each other, ladiez. Wilhelmina Vandom, Irma Lair whose own father is an officer with the Heatherfield Police, Taranee Cook whose mother is a judge, Cornelia Hale, Hay-Lin, and Melissa Cordeau." Before she could continue on a bunch of commotion reached their ears from behind the girls.

After Judge Cook got the call she quickly abandoned her office and moved for the building next door. She was more than surprised to see all of her daughter's friends' families coming here too. And then once more when they were led into a bright observation room. There they were behind the glass in a room with eight other officers. Four were stationed in the corner with large weapons.

Tom Lair turned to an FBI agent inside with them and yelled, "Why is my daughter in handcuffs and being interrogated?!"

He reached up to his chin and answered, "It's better that you all just listen. I can only say so much."

Medina focused back on the girls and said, "The last time we asked you questions it was when Elyon Brown and her family went missing. That case was closed but we're tempted to open it back up. Let's get this started." Medina flipped open her folder and grabbed a stack of papers. She took a familiar one and placed it on the table in front of them that they all stared at. Except for Will. Her eyes were trained on the white of the table.

It was of the image of them all at the intersection with circled red faces. The officer in the middle introduced herself as, "I'm Special Agent Sierra Donnel with the FBI. You girls were seen at the same intersection when things started exploding. Then after the flash... Seemed to disappear. Into thin air. Whoosh, like a candle flame someone blew out. We decided just to look into it and learned a few things. You were all headed to that intersection on different sides. Will here was on one corner, three of you were directly across, and one more on the others. Very strategic But that's not what caught our attention."

She slid two more sheets out their way that Will glanced at this time. And that the parents each got a copy of. It was a slightly blurry shot of Will walking down a sidewalk with the Remnants clearly visible. Then the other was of Starfire. Wearing the same thing. Susan blinked. Then looked up back into the room with Dean to train their eyes on Will's back.

McTiennan pointed at the sheet and stated, "We believe Will here knows about this. And _knew_ this was going to happen. As in the disaster two days ago. Then we have another disbelieving recording that actually came in an hour or two ago that blew all of this out of the water and confirmed our suspicions." McTiennan grabbed the laptop he had in his lap and placed it in front of them. It was of a video feed of Melissa and Will on the roof.

Donnel sighed and said, "Unlike most CCTVs, TechCom uses advanced video cameras to watch things." Melissa and Starfire were seen talking for a moment. Then after a few seconds, Starfire reached up and did something to the Remnant of Quintessence, changing back into small time Will.

Will closed her eyes and sighed deeply while the Guardians groaned. David Matthews' deep voice said, "And we finally get our hands on you five and..." He pointed his hand at Hay-Lin and said, " _Quinty_. I have to admit, you girls are really smart to outlast the FBI. We have an entire folder of leads of strange things in the past that lead... Well to nowhere. We didn't have to look far to find you, but we still have no idea what was happening that day. I usually don't believe in the impossible, but here it is in front of my face. So let's get down to it. Who _exactly_ are you? With the little wings and fire?"

 _"Don't say anything,"_ Hay-Lin ordered.

When the girls didn't talk, Medina sighed in annoyance and scolded, "Look you girls are already in some deep shit, you may as well cooperate. Or we'll be using more creative methods." Still no word. Or movement. Their faces were as emotionless as a rock.

McTiennan slammed his hand on the table and asked Will, "What were you doing, and where the hell did that storm come from?!" Will averted her gaze to the picture of herself before he slid it out of view. "Focus on me, not that paper. What were you doing up there?" Still no answer.

Medina sighed and threw her hands up. "Alright! Okay! You asked for it!" She waved to the glass window and beckoned someone out.

 _"Ohhhh, crap,"_ Taranee pinged. _"We're **dead** , oh no! I want to go to college, not prison!"_

They all knew what was coming next. All of them did. But when that door opened up and they strolled in, they were unprepared for it. Susan walked in first and yelled, "What the hell is going on?! Why was my daughter arrested and in a room with guys and guns?"

Medina pointed to them once the door was closed and explained, "Your children are the same 'Flying girls' the nation is raving about. All six of them." She held out the screenshots to them.

Susan snatched them and looked at the photos with the other parents. They looked to the girls, then the detectives, then the photos again. Susan immediately shook her head and said, "No, no, that can't be right, Will said that... How is this even _possible_ anyway?"

Samuel pushed through and added, "Yeah how can someone change from _children_ to _**grown women**_ like this, and _still_ look the same as before?"

"That's what we're trying to learn. But they're not talking. But we already have one thing down: Wilhelmina Vandom here... Was possibly the cause of it all. And the root cause of the destruction."

They just stared at her for a moment. Before they all turned their sights to Will. Her handcuffed hands were behind her back and eyes trained on the floor. Keitlyn whispered, "But... That doesn't make any sense. Will's a sweet girl, she wouldn't do that."

Susan did have doubts before she thought about Will's strange acts lately. The lies she told... The strange necklace that seemed to go missing at this moment. The burn she didn't want to talk about. Susan held the sheets out for Dean to take and asked, "Will? I'm going to ask you _**ONCE!...**_ And one time only. How... Did you do this? And did you do this?"

Will tried her hardest not to. She really did. But she met her mother's furious gaze. And the gazes of everyone else in the room. Then sighed and slowly nodded her head. "...Yes. I'm responsible."

It's like Susan's whole world shattered. Her daughter, this girl in all the red managed to... Susan couldn't even complete the sentence. All Melissa heard was a loud slap when Susan just went around the table and slapped Will's head to the side. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" She bellowed. Her face was contorted into fury. "First you _**lied** _to me, then went around and... And caused _misery_ and _**destruction**_! Do you even realize what the hell you did?! Answer me!"

Will's face burned from the large red mark but focused on her mother's eye. "Yes. I did."

After another loud slap, Medina asked, "Please refrain from assaulting the child."

Susan glared at her for a moment then looked back to Will and continued her rant. "What the hell has been going on behind our backs?! Start talking."

Will shook her head and boldly answered, "I can't tell you."

"You're going to tell me and you're going to tell me right now or I swear my house is no longer yours."

"It was us." They all turned to Hay-Lin who sighed and admitted, "We've been hiding a secret from everyone for three years. We didn't tell you about our powers because we're not supposed to."

Will shook her head and muttered, "Dammit, Hay-Lin."

"We're tasked with keeping the bad guys behind bars. Will just turned into one. And we had to fight her."

Donnel clicked her pen and wrote down a note while Hay-Lin's parents asked, "Why did you keep this from us?"

Taranee answered, "We're not allowed to tell you."

"Says who?"

"The guy in charge."

Samuel pointed to Melissa and asked, "Where does she fall into this?"

Will shook her head and admitted, "She has my old powers. Guardian of Air. Taranee's the Guardian of Fire, Cornelia is Earth, Irma is Water, and Hay is Quintessence. Life. She's the leader. _Now_ she is. I used to be."

"Let me guess," Susan queried. She placed her hands on her hips and said, "That made you upset, you got into a fight, got hurt, and wanted payback. Then everyone got caught in the crossfire."

"YES!" Will yelled. She narrowed her eyes at Susan and yelled, "Yes, I did it! I got my hands on the Remnants, became unstoppable, and almost killed everyone! Within a few hours, the veil would have collapsed, and all the worlds you can't see now would have collided straight into each other! There! Are you happy?! What else do you want from me?!"

"I want you to get the hell out of my life!" Susan yelled.

The room got incredibly quiet after that. Melissa's mouth parted slightly at Susan's outburst. "My daughter doesn't go around destroying cities with some supernatural powers, lying to me about it, and keeping secrets! My daughter doesn't hurt other people out of spite and jealousy! Especially _innocent_ people! You're not my Wilhelmina! And you're not welcome in my home! I don't need some... Some Tyrant around our son!"

Will just stared at her with an open mouth and eyes of sorrow. Her mother... Was disowning her. In front of everyone in here. Small tears rolled down her face while they locked gazes. Medina looked between the two of them calmly twirling her pen. Everyone was in shock.

Will blinked away her tears and was about to respond. But decided to just close her mouth. And let her actions do the talking. She narrowed her eyes and growled at Susan who said, "I'm not scared of—" The power in the whole building went out with a descending hum, cutting her off.

"Light's on, light's on!" Someone yelled in the dark.

"Will, calm down!" Taranee yelled. Something flashed for a moment before the lights came back on. Adjusting their sights, everyone trained their eyes back on...

The police raised their weapons before Starfire spread her fingers behind her back. The rifles ripped out of their hands and flew into the other's heads. Then slumped to the floor, knocked out. The steel of the cuffs disintegrated into nothing while Starfire slowly stood up to her full six feet and stared down at Susan. She didn't even budge. Shaking her head, Starfire said, "I don't want you to be scared of me."

Susan responded, "You're not my daughter."

"You made that plain and clear when you slapped me and yelled it to my face. And you're not my mother. As of this moment, you are now someone in the way." Will easily pushed her to the side, sending her sailing to the floor.

The officers at the table already had their guns pointed and fired. But the bullets stopped in mid air. Directly across from Starfire's body. Cornelia groaned out loud and asked, "We're leaving aren't we?"

Hay-Lin sighed and said, "Unfortunately. We have to be safe. Guardians, Unite!"

Starfire pushed the bullets to the side like marbles and used her powers to light herself up with a magnitude of electricity while the girls blinded their own parents with all of that light. Dean rushed out to behind her and went over to help his wife up while the other adults moved to the side in fear.

Will meanwhile went to grab the folder that the FBI had on them. But Medina beat her to it. She grabbed it and held it to her chest protectively. "Yeah, not happening!"

Will made a face of annoyance. Then easily used air and pushed her back into the wall hard. Hitting her head and back, Medina fell on her face on the floor and groaned in pain while Starfire grabbed the folder she dropped. "Yes it is. Time to go girls. We obviously have no place here anymore."

Starfire looked back at the Guardians staring at their too surprised parents. Taranee rushed in and pulled her mom and dad into a hug. Too shellshocked to do anything. Then whispered, "I'm sorry" before pulling away and walking over to Starfire.

Hay-Lin grabbed the Heart of Kandrakar and opened a rift. Then stated, "We're heading to Kandrakar. Sone deep healing is needed."

Starfire closed the folder she was looking into and nodded. "Good. I have no place here anyway." Starfire soared past them and through the rift immediately. Leaving the chaotic scene.

The next thing Susan knew, after Dean helped her up she was grabbed by the arm and swiveled around to look up into Cornelia's unreadable eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out into her face. It smelled like Honey dew and winter. "Will may have almost killed everyone for vengeance, but you just committed one of the worst crimes of all that you will _**never**_ be able to fix. This city may be damaged, but it can all be repaired. But your relationship with Will will never be the same because of what you said. And I honestly hope you can live with the fact that because of _what_ you said you will never see your daughter again. Good luck, because we're following after."

Cornelia let her go then ran through the rift flying after Taranee and the others. Leaving only Hay-Lin. She could only shake her head. Ignoring the calls from her own parents, she jumped inside. And came out on the steps of Kandrakar's fortress. The sky was light blue, yelling and threats were non-existent, and all was peaceful. Then she raised the Heart and closed the rift on both Kandrakar and Earth. Sealing the deal.

Staring at where the rift was once before, she changed them all back. Except Will who was nowhere to be seen. Melissa shrugged and answered her unasked question. "She wasn't here when we came through."

"She's in the Gardens." They followed the voice of Halinor to the top of the stairs. She was shooting them a look of pity with her hands clasped together underneath her gown. "She flew past me a few seconds ago. I am truly sorry, Guardians. Your loyalty will not be forgotten."

Melissa walked up the stairs with a nod and asked, "Where are the Gardens?"


	27. Regrets

**Regrets**

The Gardens were one of the most peaceful places in the Veil to think at. There were cobbled pathways, benches, a bunch of flowers, nature and trees, and a perfect view of the sky. There was even a small pond hosting Koi fish. Will never knew there were any until she threw a rock into it and they fled. Followed by another. Then another.

Tears poured down her face when she recalled what Susan called her. A Tyrant. Will wasn't a Tyrant and she knew it. Yet those words still stung. Just like the small bruises from those slaps on her cheek. She really hated her. She really did.

Will had taken off those clothes from Earth save for the undergarments and burned them. They sat in a pile of ash by her bare feet that were wet with silent tears. A symbolic reminder of what happened this day. Now all she had were the Golden Remnants on her body.

"Will?"

"Starfire," Will timidly corrected. Then wiped her face and added, "Will was what _she_ called me. And I want no part from her." Will slipped another rock into her hand and threw it farther while the Guardians approached.

Melissa sat down and sighed on her right while the others gathered wherever there was space. "I'm sorry, Star... That's a pretty name."

Will managed a small smile but still threw the rock into the water. "Yeah. It is. I have three assigned names now. Will, Wilhelmina, Starfire. But only one I'll ever use again. To be honest, I'm better off with no family. I'm definitely going to miss William though."

Melissa wrapped her in a side hug and pulled her close while she levitated another stone into her hand. "Hey, I'm still your family. I hope."

Will immediately corrected, "Of course you're my family. _All_ of you are my family. It's just... Hard to believe my own _mother_ would say that to me of all people. I know I messed up. I know I screwed everyone over and I really am sorry, but... It hurt bad when she said what she did to me. She called me a Tyrant. A freaking Tyrant. I know there's nothing I could do to make it right, no matter how hard I try. But in my defense, when you're about to destroy a planet you don't exactly think of the consequences. Because in the end, no one will be around to tell you or execute them. So _screw_ her! I hate Earth!"

Will threw the last rock into the water. Then pushed her face into Melissa's chest and wrapped her arms around her back. And cried.

"Wow, I guess Kadma was right." Queen Elyon walked around from behind Cornelia with pitiful eyes on Will. She was wearing a large deep green gown that covered her entire front and trailed the grass just a little. Having gotten older, she's gotten taller as well. Not as much as the Guardians though. But was still sporting pigtails. She greeted, "Hey, girls. What happened?"

Cornelia straightened up behind the bench and ruffled Elyon's hair before she slapped it away. Then answered enthusiastically, "Well we were all at school, _arrested_ at school by the FBI, _escorted_ out of school, then _schooled_ at the downtown precinct before our parents showed up. They explained their findings to our parents and Susan Vandom slapped 'Star' here across the face twice, disowned her and here we are. We're not going back. Earth is too dangerous for us. And them."

"You're leaving out a detail."

Cornelia rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, they now know about the Guardians. But they don't know about the Heart of Kandrakar or how we got our powers. Or my sister, the Heart of Earth. But I'm sure they'll figure something out."

Elyon sighed and focused on Star sobbing into Melissa's neck. Naked? "Where's her clothes?"

They pointed down to the pile of ash on the ground before Will yelled into her lover's chest, "Fuck Earth clothes!"

Elyon grimaced and muttered, "Yeesh, she has it bad. So I guess you girls need a place to stay."

Taranee shrugged from below and wrapped an arm around Hay-Lin's shoulders. "We could use something like that. Cornelia could use some internet."

Elyon smirked up to Cornelia's slightly offended expression and said, "Yeah, good luck trying to find some, there's no electricity on Meridian. I was having a hard time when I first settled in myself but I got over it. You can stay in the castle. It gets a little boring though."

Melissa rubbed Will's naked back and reminded her, "Elyon? We're the Guardians of the Veil... Plus one."

"Himerish calls Wi—er, Star 'the Holder of the Remnants.'"

"Yeah, whatever. Give us some butt to kick!"

The other Guardians voiced their agreements at the same time. Even Star looked up with a wet face and yelled, "Yeah! I want to hurt someone!"

Smiling, Elyon held her hands up and surrendered. "Okay, okay. I'll talk to Himerish about it. He'll more than likely give you small time villains though. Yeah you fought Nerissa and my brother, but you still have small guys who are just starting out. The ones threatening to hurt a family or something."

Star asked, "So bounty hunters?" Then wiped her tears away.

Elyon nodded eagerly. "Yeah. You'd be surprised at what goes on around the Veil. Let's go talk to him. And here, Star. You need something to cover you with." Queen Elyon unfastened her cape and wrapped it around Star's back, exposing the design underneath that made Cornelia pause and whistle.

Queen Elyon was wearing some kind of skin tight gray onesie with her family's crest on the front made of some semi-reflective silver and tiny hints of gold. As well as other designs on the thighs, legs, and maybe even the back. It looked good on her. Cornelia smirked and cooed, "Ooooh, showing _all_ the curves. Have you been working out?"

Elyon blushed and stroked her hair, "Mmm yeah."

"Who's your tailor?"

"My Knight in shining armor."

The girls gasped and waved for more details. Cornelia was more blunt though. She crossed her arms and repeated, "Your knight in shining armor? Who is this 'knight?'"

Elyon groaned and rolled her eyes. Of course Cornelia Hale would get defensive. She was like her big sister in a way. Popping her arm, Elyon answered, "He's really nice. We met when we received relief efforts from another kingdom while everything else was growing. He's not a prince or anything, but actually a Knight for his country. Now he serves as my liaison back and forth."

Elyon twirled around like a schoolgirl and fawned, "He's strong, handsome, and has such a way with words. He also has a thick accent. Oh gosh, his accent is _so_ thick."

Irma teased, "Are you sure you're not talking about _something_ _else_? Eep!"

Elyon playfully flicked a small orb of blinding light at her. Then continued. "But it worries me that he's going back and forth like that with no protection. He says he's fine but I'm a Queen, and his girlfriend. I know when he's not fine. There's something out there that scares him and has him running into my castle each time he comes over."

Cornelia deadpanned, "How brave of him."

"Well he keeps going back and forth through whatever it is to deliver messages, and that's brave. Not to mention sometimes just to see me. But I'd rather he have someone out there to protect him. Someone with powers over Earth, Fire, Water, and Air." Elyon slowly turned a grinning face to Star. She met it with a deadpan look. "It would make me really _really_ happy just to see him truly safe. I've been trying to get in contact with all of you for some time but my duties have been piling up ever since we've been receiving help to rebuild."

Will took a deep breath and sighed. She really didn't want to do it. But for one she literally would have nothing to do once they were on Meridian and two, would actually make her friend happy. Plus it would help her feel better to see more parts of Metamoor she's never seen before. Groaning, Will stood up with the cape covering her from shoulders to toe and coalesced, "Ugggh, fine. I'll do it. I'll help escort your boytoy back home."

"Boyfriend. We haven't reached that level yet."

"You sure talk like you have, your highness." After a wink, Star helped Melissa to her feet and answered before she could ask, "I'll be fine in the future. Besides... I talked about it."

Taranee removed her arm from around Hay-Lin's shoulders and asked, "Still dying to kick butt?"

"Yes I am. So let's go get some authorization so we all can."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

After everything that happened, all of the parents and witnesses were escorted back out so the officers could be looked over. For some strange reason, they couldn't get the door open to go in and rescue. They were knocking but no one was responding until the girls disappeared. It was true. It was all true. They changed right in front of their faces. They couldn't even speak.

Will and her friends were the same girls that had managed to destroy Heatherfield—well... Will was the one who did. The others were just trying to stop her apparently. When the officers gave Susan Will's bag, she literally tossed it in the nearest trash, despite of whatever was in it.

Dean had gone to bed upstairs after they got home and called it in, leaving Susan to think about what happened as of a few hours ago with a small soft drink in her hand at the kitchen table. Susan could only sigh and shake her head. What the heck was going on? Why didn't she know about it? As her mother she should have known. Susan silently blamed herself for allowing Will to get caught up in this mess. And now because of her, her own friends lost their daughters. They were somewhere else in the world. The police had sent out an APB along with Interpol and the FBI to search for these girls. Hopefully they all could at least talk to their own children again. Wherever they were.

Susan silently cursed and took another sip. Things were starting to go back to normal around the city. But... Susan realized her life would never be normal. Not... Not without Will. Things weren't going to be the same if they didn't find them. Ever.

Susan slowly shook her head and closed her eyes as she thought about her own words. _I want you to get the hell out of my life! My daughter doesn't go around destroying cities with some supernatural powers, lying to me about it, and keeping secrets! My daughter doesn't hurt other people out of spite and jealousy! Especially innocent people! You're not my Wilhelmina! And you're not welcome in my home! I don't need some... Some **Tyrant** around our son! _

If Susan could turn back time, she would try to figure out what happened that day Will escaped through the window. She also had a nagging feeling that burn came from something else. With all of this stuff coming to light, she wouldn't be surprised.

"I messed up," she whispered. "I need to get my Wilhelmina back..." Cornelia's own last words pierced through her tired mind.

 _"Will may have almost killed everyone for vengeance, but you just committed one of the worst crimes of all that you will never be able to fix. This city may be damaged, but it can all be repaired. But your relationship with Will will never be the same because of what you said. And I honestly hope you can live with the fact that **because** of what you said you will never see your daughter again."_

Susan sighed and trained her eyes on the single picture above the kitchen doorway of their family. Susan and Dean were in the background while Will was in the front holding William in her arms. When she didn't have a burn on her face and her hair was short. When she was really skeptical of Dean. When she was happy and not afraid to smile. And they all were too. Susan shook her head at it and asked herself, "What happened to that? _God_ —" Susan slammed the can down on the table and stood up. Then grabbed the car and Will's house keys by the door to get out. She had to find Will. They had to make this up. They both had to make this right. They could get through this together. She just needed to find her.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

After the Guardians explained their request to Himerish, he was instantly on board. No hesitation. From his seat in the abandoned chamber he nodded and answered, "Absolutely. Each world could use some help with their own major crimes. Now that villains such as Phobos, Nerissa, and..."

Still partly nude, Star crossed her arms under the cape and clarified, "I'm a _reformed_ villain. No big."

"Yes. Now that villains such as Phobos, Nerissa, and Starfire were defeated, there are no more rather major important entities we must pay attention to. So to help out in smaller things is relieving."

Star nodded and admitted, "Yeah I've been trying to get some training in anyway. On to Meridian!"

"And Star?" Star ceased her motions and focused back on Himerish. "If you ever need to talk to someone, we are able to lend a listening ear. You are never alone."

Star sighed through her nose but still managed a smile. "Thank you, Oracle. Onward to Meridian! I want to see this boytoy of Elyon's that has her twirling in place." Ignoring Elyon's denials, Star ripped open a rift and jumped through with the others. They landed directly in the partly lit throne room, bright only by the sun shining in behind Elyon's throne. Entirely empty save for Caleb literally kicking his feet up in a chair on the wall with a deck of cards in his hands.

He was focused on his cards so much he didn't realize they were there until Cornelia yelled down to him, "Who is Elyon's boyfriend?!"

He squealed and let his cards go to fall out of the chair. Then jumped up and scolded, "Go ahead and give me another Heart, your blonde craziness. And some Knight of Northton. He's alright. What are you all doing here?... And why's the traitor wearing the _Queen's cape_?"

He eyed Star with distaste while Elyon walked up to her throne. Star crossed her arms about to retort before Cornelia did it for her. "We ran away from Earth for our own safety, Star's mother disowned her, and she burned her clothes in anger."

Caleb nodded like it was the most reasonable idea in the world. "I can see all of that happening. The disowning part, I mean."

Annoyed with his clear distrust of Will, Elyon sighed from her throne and said, "Could you get her some medium-sized clothes and undergarments, Caleb?"

Caleb bowed and made his way to the door. On the way he made an 'I'm watching you' gesture to Star who responded with a flick of her finger.

Once the door closed, Cornelia flew up and sat on Elyon's right arm rest. Smirking. No good intentions on her mind. "So... Is he hot?"

Elyon rolled her eyes and answered, " _To me._ You may not like him. He should be here soon. He shows up in the afternoon on weekends and stays for two nights. Then leaves early Monday morning. It takes nearly a whole day to travel to Northton."

"Interesting," Melissa responded. Then watched Will shuffle around underneath the large cape and recklessly tossed out her bra and underwear. They all stared at them for a moment before Will sliced open a small rift and threw them in. Melissa blinked and asked, "...Where'd that go?"

Star closed it and answered, "An alley on Earth. That's the last time for a while that I open one there." Will wiggled around and stated, "I am enjoying this breeze, seriously."

Irma moved up with Hay-Lin and yelled, "Show the whole world your curves, Star! Whoo hoo!"

Melissa shook her head and said, "No, no one is looking at my girl's curves but me."

Star giggled and faced her back to her friends to share a kiss with Melissa. Then slightly pulled back and said, "She's right. The only one to get to see all of this..." Will raised her arms and wrapped them around Melissa's neck, exposing her naked front. "Is Melissa."

Leaning on her left hand, Elyon rolled her eyes and scolded, "Try not to disrespect my throne room please. And try no lovey dubby funny stuff when—" A loud knock ceased Elyon's rules. Bringing the biggest of all grins to her face. "Enter!!"

The Guards on the outside of the door pushed them open, letting in a young man possibly eighteen. He was wearing an outfit similar to Elyon's that showed it all. He had big muscles and looked like a much younger version of Melissa's father. He was caucasian with snow white hair and dark brown eyes. A leather belt with a scabbard on his waist held a sword of the knight variety. Just a few of the things the girls noticed off the bat. He also had a hand behind his back.

He walked past the Guardians and Star with a smile, then stopped at the staircase leading up to Elyon's throne, who was starting to make her way down grinning. He bowed and greeted in a mix of spanish and french, "My beloved Queen Elyon. I have brought you roses."

He removed his hand from behind his back and presented a stunning display of snow white roses while she approached. Will smirked and pinged, _"Whoa, such a thick **accent**. Can't you girls see it? That big 'ol accent?"_The Guardians trained their sights on where Will's eyes were trained. Which were right between his legs. Elyon embraced the knight in Shining Armor before they heard a bunch of giggling. "Hello, Glint," she greeted.

Glint Artwire pulled away and grabbed her right hand to place a kiss on the back of it. "My Queen and love. It is another weekend."

"Yes it is. How was your trip here? Was it safe?"

Elyon saw him hesitate for a second then answer, "Yes."

She didn't believe that for a second. He was terrible at lying. Elyon slowly nodded before the door opened for Caleb. Then a bunch of clothes were dropped on Star's head when he walked past. "Here," he said. "Your royal evilness."

Star grumbled before she moved her hand in a motion unseen as if she yanked a rope. Caleb's legs suddenly flew out from underneath him, forcing him to fall on his face. They all seethed while Star smirked and crossed her arms in amusement. "Thank you, Caleb."

Elyon sighed and pulled Glint over to them. While Caleb hopped back up with a bruised nose, Elyon raised a hand out to them. "Glint? I'd like you to meet my friends, The Guardians of The Veil. Taranee, Hay-Lin, Irma, Cornelia, and Melissa. And the Holder of the Remnants, Star."

They all waved his way while he bowed. Except the redhead one. She was doing something behind their backs that involved a bunch of ruffling and a cape being thrown over Melissa's head. "Gimme a moment, hold on... And... Okay." Star grabbed the cape and walked out in a smooth leather dress. Then took a bold step by sliding her hair to the side, showing off her burn and blind eye. Smiling she greeted, "I'm Starfire. But I prefer Star."

Caleb muttered something smart again that had his face once again meet the stone floor. Glint grimaced at him for a moment then bowed their way. "It is an honor to meet the protectors of the Veil."

"Yeah, yeah. So!" Cornelia slid up to place her elbow on his shoulder and asked, "You're the guy that had Elyon twirling in a circle. I'm happy to see that she moved on from fawning over this one." She pointed a mocking thumb at Caleb nursing his nose.

"I suppose," he responded.

"Whoo! Elyon you were right, he has a really thick accent! In _both_ areas." She motioned with her eyes down to the ground making an implication that had Elyon blush.

After Star gave her cape back, she stammered, "G-Go somewhere, get out of here."

Cornelia raised her hands and surrendered, "Okay, okay. But if your guy friend here hurts you, I'm trapping him in a maze inside a mountain. Just a warning. Let's go, girls. We'll be back later, okay?"

Cornelia walked over with the Guardians and Star for the door while Elyon and her boyfriend started talking, leaving Caleb behind. He'd watch over them. Besides Star wanted to get some training done. And get away from Caleb. He obviously didn't trust her.

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

The sky was dark and the streets of Heatherfield were abandoned, allowing Susan to drive slowly past multiple skyscrapers in slight paranoia to keep a close eye out. There had to be some place Will would hide out at. In the past, she'd stay at one of her friends' house. But they were gone too. All of this... This _Guardian_ business made Susan say things she regretted hours later. And if she can't find Will, she'll be stuck with the realization that it was because of her that her daughter ran away. Bringing to life Cornelia's words.

Nearing the courthouse from earlier that day, Susan slowed the car down and parked it on the side of the road in front of the building's stone steps. Then jumped out and closed the door. She walked around the vehicle and over to the trash can where Will's bag was still sitting. Accentuated by the car's bright lights shining on the red color. She was relieved it was still here.

Susan grabbed it and checked inside to make sure everything was still in place. Then made her way back to the car and drove off again. So far the only thing she has of Will's was her bag. And the police took that earlier.

Susan spent a few minutes just driving around, hoping to see a hint of red. Or any of the girls really. She did spot a hint of black from someone with a flashlight. But it was just Keitlyn and—wait, _Keitlyn?!_

Susan stepped on the brake and slowed the car down to a stop. Then looked back over her left shoulder and observed. It was definitely Keitlyn and another teenager with glasses. Both holding flashlights. Susan sighed and turned the steering wheel to the far left. Then drove to swivel the car around. They froze when the lights hit them and Susan slowly pulled up. Then rolled her window down and turned on the overhead light.

Sighing in relief, Keitlyn walked over and asked, "Susan? What are you doing out this late?" Susan just motioned to the bag lying in the passenger seat, directing her attention to it. "Oh."

Susan motioned to Samantha Cordeau and asked, "You two are doing the same, I take it?" When they nodded, Susan pointed to the back and ordered, "Get in. Wherever Melissa is Will's there too. None of them would split up."

~TLO~

The sun was beginning to set on Meridian, basking the city over more cities in darkness. Four of the Guardians decided to go back to the castle. But Melissa and Star decided to stay on an observing hill and watch the sun set. After Elyon shooed them away, Star decided to show them her fighting rechniques she learned in Fadden. Those were some impressive moves. She threw Melissa around a little too just for fun and training.

Now they were sitting on the green grass hill watching the sun set together. Out of habit, Melissa leaned back into Will's embrace and allowed her to stroke her hair. Both of them just listened to the silence of the world. The peace. The wonder.

Star broke the silence by whispering, "This would be the first time... We spent more than one night here."

"Really?" Melissa tilted her head back and asked, "Out of all the times you guys have been here?"

"We were still keeping secrets from Earth and our parents. And _her_."

Melissa winced at her girlfriend's accentuation and whispered, "You're not going to hurt her when we see her again? Because I have a feeling we will. Not anytime soon, but still."

Star sighed and slowly shook her head to the Sunset. What would be the best answer to that question? She looked back down into Melissa's eyes and whispered, "I... Don't know, Melissa. There's no telling. All I know us that when I see her again I might flare up. What happens after I can't predict."

Melissa focused back on the Sunset and didn't respond. She really couldn't. If Will's... Star's anger did flare up, there was no telling what would happen. She was unpredictable. Star lightly pulled Melissa's head back and added, "But I will try not to."

Melissa smiled at that and shared a slow peck with Star once more. Obviously content with that answer. Then focused back on the setting sun. A few birds flew past, creating small silhouettes like the castle. It was a very beautiful sight.

"How do you girls do it?" A voice whispered. They didn't even hear her. Hay-Lin walked up from behind and sat on their left. Then folded her arms over her legs that were pulled up to her chest and ceased her buzzing wings. "How do you two manage to... Get together like this? And find... A relationship?"

Without taking her eyes off the view, Star answered, "We just went for it. Threw all cautions and fear to the wind and... Did it."

Melissa took a breath and answered, "When I first met Wilhelmina here, it was awkward. She was awkward. She had a bunch of gauze on her face and had a weird look in her eye. I told her that I knew her friends from Sheffield and she was all, 'What's a Sheffield?'"

Star and Hay-Lin chuckled before Star added, "But I knew that day when she told me she liked frogs that Melissa was someone special."

"Same here. We bonded over stuffed amphibians."

Star took a deep breath and said, "The day we confessed our feelings to each other, I was a wreck. I was looking in the mirror at myself and trying to come up with ways to tell Melissa how I felt. Then I got upset over my face and applied make-up. Next tried on different outfits to see which one she'd like best. I chose the one that was a little more... Revealing."

"Do you mean seductive?" Melissa teased.

"No... Okay, yeah but—" Melissa and Hay-Lin laughed before she continued. "But after all of that trouble, that struggle, those... Decisions... Nothing, and I mean _nothing_ compares to how you feel when you speak from your heart and be yourself."

Hay-Lin paid close attention when Will added, "There is no reciting, no practice, just be yourself. When you look your love in their eyes, or eye, everything else will follow. And then you'll know that this? That moment when you hold them in your arms? You'll know that it's real. So our advice?"

Star turned to grace Hay-Lin with a smile and stated, "Take a deep breath... And let it flow. Just let it all out, and don't stop until it is."

Hay-Lin tightened her lips and eyed the castle. Taranee was in there doing something right now. She would be sleeping in a few minutes. After all the sleepovers, Hay-Lin never realized how pretty Taranee looked without her glasses on. And they were friends _wayyy_ before Will showed up to Sheffield.

Hay-Lin sighed and asked, "But how do I know when to ask her?"

Melissa smirked and answered, "There's no predetermined time or day. You'll just know when's the right time."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

What do you guys honestly think about the Hay-Lin/Taranee shipping? I tthink they're sweet together.


	28. Eyes On The Future Taranee's Secret Sha

**Eyes On The Future** **; Taranee's** **Secret Shame**

After Susan picked up Keitlyn and Samantha, they drove around for a bit, shining flashlights on everything to at least find something. Susan was sure she found Will's underwear and bra. But there was no telling. It didn't have that little mark on the side. So it stayed there in the alley. Susan probably realized she was a little desperate.

After awhile, Susan sighed and apologized. "I'm sorry, Keitlyn."

Keitlyn switched off the flashlight and asked her through the rear view, "Why are you apologizing? None of us knew about this."

"Yeah, but it's because of what I said that they're gone. Will isn't the type of person to just up and leave unless she had a good reason. I'd say telling her to get out of my house is a pretty good one. If I didn't say that..."

"Then your son would have been in danger, Susan. You did what was safe for your family. You didn't want them hurt."

"And I lost Will in the process," Susan whispered. "And you lost Melissa, and the others lost their own children. I should have known they wouldn't abandon her. Especially after all that happened. Especially Melissa. They really _really_ love each other. I wouldn't be surprised if they were married. And she went with her through that blue light thing and..."

Susan merely sighed and stopped the car in front of the hotel Samantha was staying at. After a hug from Keitlyn and a timid "Thank you" to Susan, she jumped out and headed inside. Leaving the two of them to pull off for their homes.

Susan slowly shook her head and stated, "I still don't understand how they got... Their powers. Or anything else."

Keitlyn suggested, "Well it had to have been before we moved here. Shortly after, Melissa sneezed and... Trashed her room. It was odd and I honestly didn't question it because I was in disbelief. Maybe everything just fell or... I-I don't know."

Susan sighed and whispered, "I don't know what happened either. Maybe it happened after we came to Hearherfield. But none of that matters. I just want to find our children. And bring them home."

~TLO~

The stars shined bright down on Merdian, lighting Melissa and Will's way as they walked through the tired city to the looming Castle. Melissa was eagerly waved to from the town's people. And she waved back. Honestly, Will missed that. The social interaction between the Guardians and townsfolk was a given luxury. It was no secret that all of the Veil—save for Earth—knew of them. All the past generations of Guardians and the current generation were soldiers who would sacrifice their own lives to make sure the other worlds could enjoy theirs.

And Earth wanted to take advantage of that. Shortly after arriving in the Gardens in the Fortress a few hours ago, Will's tears wetted the contents of the folder she snatched after opening it. The FBI had been investigating strange things all over the nation. Dating way back to the early nineteen hundreds involving "Unidentified Spacial Openings," and reports of flying people. Most of the stuff was scratched off then. But then after more reports years later, the government was beginning to look into it.

Pictures were in the folder of those blue rifts in black and white. Along with photos of homes and buildings. Apparently, they managed to get a close eye on the rifts and label things. The Guardians back then were a little sloppy.

But then things got dirty. A few months after the pictures, a report came in from a young teenager concerned about her friend playing with fire in their backyard. The police investigated the home and spotted the Guardian "Twirling flames in front of frightened family members." They shot, and killed her. It wasn't until the flames ceased that they realized that she wasn't normal. Even though parts of her body were on fire, she wasn't burned. Not even a scorch mark.

The police questioned her family and friends, but they didn't know much. Then an armed robbery occured that the Guardians attempted to thwart that they were caught. Her friends. They were arrested and taken to an FBI office. And never heard from again.

After scanning the pages a little more, Star discovered that they were handed over to something dubbed, "The Miracle Project." After that, Star closed the folder, tossed it through a rift to Himerish's seat in the Chamber, then angrily started throwing rocks into the small pond. Cursing herself for nearly getting her friends and girlfriend killed. Being disowned by her mother, seeking redemption for a petty rock.

And sacrificing the honor of being a Guardian like her girlfriend here. Even at night, Meridians were still out and about. Handing Melissa flowers. Even though she was clearly smiling, Melissa pinged, _"Is it always like this?"_

Star smirked and responded, _"They've never seen you before. They already know about me... The Traitor, as Caleb calls me."_

"You're not a traitor," Melissa scolded out loud. She grabbed Star's hand and rubbed her thumb across the top while offering her a small smile. "You were just lost."

Star smiled and nodded. But she wasn't entirely sure that was accurate. She had hurt a lot of people. Nearly killed Mariho with a brick and knocked January around. Both of them she still had yet to apologize to. Burned down this still-recovering city. Damaged Kandrakar, beat the crap out of a council member... There was no way she would be forgiven just like that and be excused because she was "Just lost." It never worked that way. _Nothing_ ever worked that way.

But here she was, walking past the stink eye the Guards right into the same castle she invaded, home to the same Queen she put in a one-handed chokehold and forced to watch her kingdom burn, who in turn invited her back after her mother disowned her, leaving her no place to go, and forced off her world and dimension. Not to mention after lying to her own girlfriend who shared her own love with her, Melissa continues to stay by her side with the other Guardians. And she wasn't a traitor?

By all accounts Will should be in chains in the worst prison imaginable forever. But yet here she was walking the streets as a free woman with a different name. But she will never forget the mistake she made each time she captures sight of her burn. And the remnants on her body.

Star raised her hand and fiddled at the Remnant of Quintessence. Even though it was the start of it all, Melissa gave it to her out of love with nothing but good intentions. And she would always treasure it. And never do this again.

~TLO~

Hay-Lin couldn't sleep. Even though she laid awake under the thick comforter, her eyes were wide open and trained on the stone ceiling. She nervously twiddled with her fingers. Thinking. After Star and Melissa told their stories, she felt determination. Determined to at least speak. To say _something_ to Taranee about her feelings. It wasn't going to be much, but it would have to do.

Her room just like her fellow guardians had a great view of Meridian from it's single window. They would be able to watch the sun rise in the morning. Hay-Lin sighed and shrugged off the covers. She couldn't sleep anyway. Then swileved her feet over the side and slid them into her shoes. She had a feeling all of these Earth clothes were going to meet the flame soon.

Once she was comfortable, Hay-Lin opened her bedroom door and stepped out into the darkened hall. Cornelia was probably asleep and Irma... Eh. Who knew? Irma was Irma. Will and Melissa were out and Taranee... No clue. Her bedroom door was shut and she couldn't hear anything.

Hay-Lin stood stock still in her own doorway with quivering eyes trained on it. Her fearful mind was coming up with all kinds of reasons to not go over there, knock, and walk in to declare her love. A subliminal message that Taranee was clearly uninterested, a blunt denial after everything that happened, she was too tired.

Will's voice echoed through her mind. _"...Threw all caution to the wind..."_

Hay-Lin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do. And she was going to do it. Screw her fears, they can burn with these clothes tomorrow.

Clearing her mind, Hay-Lin closed the bedroom door and walked across the dark quiet hallway to a stop at Taranee's door with a stomp of her foot. Her fists were clenched and teeth tight. She was doing this. She was actually going to do this. Before she realized it, Hay-Lin knocked once. Twice. Thrice. Then lowered her fist and stood tall with her head held high.

She was facing the door of no return. The entrance of a possible relationship.

Or possible rejection. And embarrassment. And awkwardness with her friend. Taranee was already awkward, Hay-Lin wouldn't want to make her even more awkward. Hay-Lin's shoulders slumped before she used her fists to tug at her ponytails. "Th-This was a terrible idea," she stammered. It's much better if they stay in the friend zone. It was much easier on her _and_ Taranee.

With that in mind, Hay-Lin whirled around and darted back into her room. Then closed the door before Taranee opened hers. She peeked out and blinked at the open air. "No one here," she muttered. Was this castle haunted?

Adjusting her glasses, Taranee shrugged and was about to close the door before a bunch of muttering across caught her attention. Hay-Lin in her room. Taranee squinted her eyes and looked around. Then strode out and closed her door to go to Hay-Lin's. Something was clearly bothering her. Tightening the drawstring on her gray gym shorts, and fixing her hair and white T-shirt, Taranee stopped in front of Hay-Lin's room and knocked. "Hay-Lin?" She called.

She heard a yelp then a grand, "Ouch!" Before the door was pulled open. Hay-Lin had to be stressing hard because tiny beads of sweat had her hair wet a bit. But her attempt to stay neutral made Taranee smirk.

Leaning against the door frame with an arm higher than her head, and ignoring the throbbing in her toe, Hay-Lin greeted, "Hey, hi, wassup?"

Wassup, huh? Taranee doubled back and asked, "Hay-Lin, are you okay?"

Hay-Lin nodded and answered, "Yeah, I'm all good."

Taranee rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Hay, we've been friends forever, I know the signs of when you're stressing out about something."

"I'm stressing—I mean I'm _not_ stressing, I'm not."

Taranee only sighed and bit her lip while she eyed Hay-Lin. When was she ever going to talk? Taranee nodded and whispered in clear disappointment, "...okay."

Then turned and began to walk away before Hay-Lin grabbed her hand. "Wait! Taranee, I... Uhh..." Taranee turned and looked at the two of their hands connected before training on Hay-Lin's eyes.

 _"...Threw all caution to the wind..."_ Hay-Lin sighed and lightly pulled Taranee into her room behind her. Then softly closed her door.

While Taranee fiddled with her shorts, Hay-Lin took another deep breath. "So you want to talk about it?" Taranee asked.

Turning around, Hay-Lin slowly walked up to Taranee. She couldn't say anything. Her entire tongue was tied when she saw Taranee wearing gym shorts. They were really cute on her. They were in Gym when they were arrested and never got their bags back. So Hay-Lin was stuck in Gym shorts too. They were burning tomorrow.

Finding her answer, Hay-Lin shook her head and whispered, "I'd... Rather let my actions speak for me." Then darted forward and latched her lips to her friend's.

Taranee froze and widened her eyes. Hay-Lin... Was she... She's kissing her?

Taranee felt her shake for a second then pull away. Hay-Lin's gaze avoided hers with shame and tears streaming down her face. She stammered, "T-Taranee? I... I'm sorry, but I'm in love with you. I just wanted to say it now before things got weird and... Uggh, I'm sorry. I can clearly see you don't feel the same way. So... I'll just go and we can forget this ever happened."

Hay-Lin was about to turn around and leave before Taranee asked, "And just _where_ are you going, this is your room. Unless you didn't want to sleep alone tonight, I'm pretty sure you'd stay. Besides..." Taranee lightly slid her hand back into Hay-Lin's and pulled her back into a hug. "I never said that."

"...Taranee? I don't understand." Hay-Lin pulled away a little to look into Taranee's quivering blue eyes behind the glasses. And to wipe her own.

Taranee blinked and clarified, "I know what it's like to be afraid to speak. To... Keep your mouth closed when something happens and you're supposed to tell someone. To... Act natural when you're hurting, both inside and... Out."

Hay-Lin was sure Taranee was telling her this was a lot deeper than mere feelings. Thus the reason she herself wasn't jumping off the wall. Something happened to Taranee. Hay-Lin slightly narrowed her eyes and asked, "Taranee... Who hurt you?"

Taranee closed her eyes and took a deep breath while Hay-Lin moved them to her bed. "After Nigel and I broke up, there was a party near his place. One of the guys I knew was throwing it. Even though Nigel and I split, he still left his adventurous personality on me. I'm not really afraid to meet other people anymore or talk to them. The guy I knew had just graduated. So I put on my best outfit and went. It was really nice. Fun. A lot of dancing to music. Then there was this one guy.

"I never paid much attention to him, but I could feel eyes watching me. He was maybe nineteen and I recently turned sixteen. Like my birthday was a week before this. So he tried to make his move on me in front of his buddies. That was already wrong. So I denied him and went somewhere else with a few other girls. When I was getting tired, I told my friend congrats, text me, then left. That other guy was watching. Next thing I knew, something pulled me into an alley on my way home and started... Hitting me." Taranee's voice began to grow in pitch and gained an emotional wobble as she moved on. "I felt weak. I _was_ weak. He beat me senseless... Pushed me to the ground, and... And took everything he could from me that—"

Hay-Lin immediately pulled Taranee into a hug and allowed her tears to flow into her shoulders. "Shhhh," she cooed. "Everything's going to be okay. We're all here. Do you know who did it?" She felt Taranee shake her head. "Okay. Well you're here with us, you're safe... You're safe."

After a bit more shaking and tears, Taranee pulled away and looked into Hay-Lin's wet eyes. "I'm sorry I never told you. I love you too. I love you so much Hay and I'm sorry I can't be clean for—"

"Don't say that," Hay-Lin scolded. Then planted a kiss on her forehead. "I don't care about that. I'm just happy you told me. Wanna sleep here tonight?"

After Taranee's confirming nod Hay-Lin flipped the covers and guided her underneath. Once she was comfortable, Hay-Lin pecked her forehead and whispered, "I'll be back. Just getting some air, okay?"

At Taranee's nod, Hay-Lin straightened and walked across the cold dark stone floors for the door. "And Hay?" She stopped and whirled around. Taranee smiled tiredly and whispered, "Thank you."

Hay-Lin smiled back and said, "I love you, T."

"I love you too."

~TLO~

There was a balcony nearby that Hay slowly walked to. Arms wrapped around herself, she took calming breaths. Taranee's revelation? She was taken advantage of shortly after she and Nigel broke up. All she knew was that it was by a guy she saw at a party.

There is always a guy at a party.

And Hay-Lin felt guilty that she didn't know. She and Taranee had met each other way in kindergarten, way before meeting Cornelia and Irma. And definitely Will. She came in years later while they all met within three. Either way, as Taranee's best friend, she should have known about this. Walking past a guard patrolling, Hay-Lin walked out onto the patio way above the ground and leaned against the ledge to look down. It was silent and quiet. The wind was blowing, moving trees and shuffling her hair about around her face. She crossed her arms and leaned on them, adjusting her sights to the bright shining moon above. They were definitely in another dimension. This is the first time any of them had ever been here overnight. Might as well take advantage of it.

But Hay-Lin couldn't get the thought that someone took advantage of Taranee. Someone _raped_ Taranee! Who the hell would do such a thing to a sixteen year old?! IT made Hay-Lin so mad, she could just— "Hay." Hay-Lin eeped and swiveled her sights to the right. Cornelia and Irma were in the same position on the opposite side watching the moon. But their eyes were string amused at her. Irma grinned and said, "Are you made at the air? Is that why you're growling at it?"

 _I was growling?_ Hay-Lin blinked at them then looked back to the sky once again. She didn't feel like amusing them right now. Cornelia and Irma shared a look of concern before the former asked, "Hay?... Is everything okay?"

Hay-Lin was about to respond yes but figure it would be useless. Irma has a knack for getting people to talk. So she sighed and shook her head. "No. I'm not."

"What are we talkin' about?" They looked back to the entrance when Star walked in. Looks like she was wearing that burn proudly since she was putting her long red hair put into a ponytail. She walked over quietly and stood next to Hay-Lin to ask, "Did you talk to her?"

Hay-Lin avoided her gaze and nodded. Then looked back to the sky. "Yeah... I talked to her and she told me a few things."

Irma bounced over and asked, "Who are we talking about?"

"I'm talking about T. And why is everyone up, why aren't you guys sleeping?"

Star pointed to the sky and answered, "On a night like _this_ , are you crazy? Melissa clonked out earlier, but I decided to stay up."

"Sharing a room?"

"Yeah. She wants a rematch tomorrow. It's going to be fun. You girls are always welcome to watch. Now what about the asking? How did it go?"

Star jumped up on the ledge and sat with her back facing the open air, eyes trained on Hay-Lin like Cornelia and Irma. "Well I told her that I loved her—"

Cornelia held up a hand sign telling her to pause the story and asked, "Whoa, wait moment. You like Taranee?"

Hay-Lin nodded and answered, "Yeah. I love Taranee."

"Why is everyone hooking up with each other? Don't get any bright ideas, Irma. I like guys."

"Anyway, I chickened out and walked back into my room. Taranee came to my door instead and asked if I was okay. She knew I was lying when I said yes. I was stressing out."

Star shrugged and commented, "Yeah, it's like that. What happened next?"

"Taranee was about to leave. So I pulled her into my room and kissed her right on the lips."

Irma deadpanned, "How subtle of you."

"Yeah, well... I'm glad I did. I guess she was waiting for me to make a move." Hay-LIn pointed up to Star and stated, "She already called it. She never said yes or anything when I asked her. Instead she said that she knows what it's like to be afraid to talk about something that's hurting you. Inside and out."

Irma grabbed Hay-Lin's arm and asked, "Something happened to Taranee... Didn't it?"

Hay-Lin nodded and said, "...yeah. Around her sixteenth birthday. I guess that's the reason why she's more assertive now all of a sudden. She wasn't like that way before Star here became evil. No offense."

Star shrugged and levitated a small stone into her hand to juggle with. "None taken. I'm getting used to it. Do you know what happened?"

Hay-Lin nodded and answered, "Yeah. Taranee was... I can't even say it. It's terrible. Not to mention it's not my place to tell you guys. Just know that it traumatized her to a great degree. And that she's still trying to cope with what happened."

The rest of the girls nodded and focused on the air around them blowing their hair around. Some of Star's red hair got into Hay's face, painting a query in her mind. "Why did you grow your hair out?"

"Melissa likes it long and... I had to hide my burn when I lost my memory. I was really self-conscious about it. Are you girls excited about these missions that the Oracle is definitely planning for us?"

Irma shrugged and copied Star's position. "Eh, more like eager, not exactly excited. Let's just see who we're going to kick then we can get into it."

Hay-Lin muttered unheard, "Let's kick Taranee's rapist." Giving Star pause.

Her eyes shot down to Hay-Lin and asked, "Wait, WHAT?!" Then clamped her hands over her mouth. Hopefully she didn't wake anyone up. She leaned in and whispered, "Her... You're joking. No wait, you don't joke about things like that, this is real. When did this happen? Is she okay?"

"Dammit. Will—"

"I'm going back to Earth and I'm going to find—"

"Will!" Hay-Lin's outburst ceased Star's attempt to create another portal and glare her way. "She doesn't need a trial, she needs comfort. Not attention from her parents and ours. Not to mention we're all still wanted fugitives. That and she doesn't know his name or anything."

Star only stared at her. Then grunted and lowered her finger. Hay-Lin was right. And the leader of the Guardians. They couldn't really do anything about it right now anyway. Not if they were hiding. Star sighed and walked back over to the ledge to groan to herself. "That shouldn't have happened. When did this happen?"

Hay-Lin shrugged and answered, "Months ago. Nearly a year since she's about to turn seventeen. Our best bet is to keep her mind off of it."

Cornelia literally popped into their sights and asked, "What are you guys talking about? What happened to Taranee?"

Star answered before Hay could stop her, "She was raped."

"WHAT THE F—"

Star raised her hand and ceased the air from flowing into Irma's mouth to cut her off. "But Hay's right. We can't do anything right now. We can only be there for her and help her out. As well as the rest of the world. But this is not being laid down any time soon. Here."

Star moved her hand over the ledge and did something that made the Remnant of Earth glow a bright green. Cornelia motioned to the Opal and asked, "How do those work? And don't they make you insane?"

Star shrugged but nodded. "Not if they're applied correctly. It's like a science experiment. You add the wrong chemical—or in this case put them on in the wrong areas and things will get a bit messy. But I put them all in the right regions. I always double check my handy work." A large vine grew over the ledge with budding roses of different colors. Once they were all bloomed, Star pointed to them and said, "Taranee likes roses. All girls like roses. This will definitely cheer her up. We'll watch out for her."


	29. Secret Circles

**Secret Circles**

Star was right. When Hay-Lin walked back into her room with the bouquet, Taranee was in bed with her back turned under the covers. Her glasses were sitting on the nightstand. But Hay-Lin knew her best friend. Closing the door softly, Hay-Lin whispered, "Hey. Brought you something."

Just as she thought, Taranee turned over and grabbed her glasses quickly from the nightstand. Then donned them on her face and eyed the sparkling white roses in Hay-Lin's grip with awe. If Taranee knew something or someone was out of place before she went to bed, she wouldn't go to sleep until it was.

After approaching, Hay-Lin sat on the edge and slapped them by the stems in her hand. "With love. From Irma." Taranee grew an amused smirk directed at her friend. "Okay, Will suggested it and I followed, sue me. I'm really sorry for kissing you without your permission earlier. I think I may have brought up some awful memories."

Nodding, Taranee sniffed the roses and grew a grin. "Honeydew."

"Honeydew?" Hay-Lin leaned in and took a sniff herself. "Yeah, that's Honeydew. I wonder how she did that. I didn't smell them on my way here."

Twirling the flowers over, Taranee whispered, "I wonder how Will does _a lot_ of things. She kept some secrets from us I feel we should have known. I kept a secret from you guys too..." Taranee's eyes dilated before she asked in fear, "Did you tell them?"

"Star overheard me muttering. I'm sorry, I really am—"

"Don't be. It's okay. On Earth it would be a totally different story and outcome right now. But we're on Meridian making a new life. Nothing can be done from here. My parents don't know, the police don't know, I'm not pregnant and there's no STD. I checked. Twice. The only thing I miss most is..." She lowered her volume and whispered through the darkness, "My... Virginity and dream."

Hay-Lin grabbed her hand and concluded, "You were saving yourself."

With her eyes on the bouquet, Taranee took in a slow shaky breath and nodded while trying to blink the tears away. "Yeah." She sniffled and wiped her moist sad eyes. Then added, "You know... I actually always thought it would be Nigel. We would graduate together and on that same night... We'd make love, _but_!... That wasn't meant to be. And I'm okay with that now. Because I found someone who's just as crazy as me, likes the same things, and somehow manages to find white wet roses that smell like Honeydew in a castle made of stone."

Taranee plucked out a rose and fixed it into Hay-Lin's hair. Then slowly leaned in and pecked her on the lips. Hay-Lin was a little surprised. But this was greatly welcomed. Before Hay-Lin could reach up to her, Taranee whispered, "Thank you for listening to me, Hay."

Hay-Lin reached out to twiddle with Taranee's blue beaded braid and replied, "That's why I'm your best friend. Are you tired? Because I am. Come on, we have a big day tomorrow."

Hay-Lin helped Taranee underneath the dark comforter then followed in after behind her. The moon shined bright on their bodies through the window, casting them in an all white glow that made the room even more magical. Both of them had their eyes on the ceiling. Thinking and recalling. Closer to the window, Taranee took a deep breath and whispered, "And Hay?"

"Yeah, T?"

Taranee rolled over to unexpectedly wrap an arm over Hay-Lin's chest, and pierce her blue eyes into hers with a smile. "The answer to your question was yes. I'd love to go on a date with you."

~TLO~

The case was closed. Sort of. While the parents mourned and looked to the phone, the police, Interpol, and the FBI were wrapping the case up. Even though they weren't behind bars, they knew these girls were the ones who did it. Medina was pospositive they'd be found or spotted in the morning. But then again, it's not like they ran out the door. They jumped through one of those glowing rips in the air. They could literally be anywhere.

But the FBI didn't care. They only cared about that folder Will Vandom snatched and disappeared with. Apparently there was some really important files in there. That they weren't allowed to see. But either way, the FBI packed up and left town.

Or so they thought. All the black SUVs were in a line, heading down a six lane highway bridge going East of Heatherfield and over the lake dividing it. Then turned an unexpected right down the Highway's exit into industrial Heatherfield. From the first SUV's passenger seat, Donnel thought aloud, "I don't know why this guy always chooses warehouses and such to do this at."

Special Agent David Matthews glanced over and stated, "Let's just deal with it. This guy's already really shady and I hate working with him. Tell him what he wants to hear, give him what he wants to see, and get out." Their vehicles turned a right onto a public street before turning onto a private one hidden from the sight of the public and flanked by two large warehouses. Two more followed with them but the others blocked the road from sight.

The SUVs soon emerged from their darkened patch road onto a concrete bay, completely empty save for the dark red Ford truck and the gray suit-wearing caucasian man leaning against it. He glanced up and trained his light blue eyes on the approaching vehicles, shining bright lights on him in the darkness. once the trucks were parked, Donnel's door opened and she stepped out as a silhouette with a small folder in her hand. Then closed the door and walked forward into sight. "Doctor," she greeted.

"Donnel." He nodded her way and asked, "So you saw them, I presume."

She nodded and held out a much thinner folder. "Yes. Six teenagers. One of them wasn't of the usual purple-ish theme."

The young doctor adjusted his glasses and flipped open the folder. Eyeing the photos of Star and the rest of the Guardians, the rifts and specific shots from recordings of Star using her powers. As well as notes on the rifts and destruction. They even had notes on the items on the Guardians. "We aren't sure about the Guardians. But we know 'Starfire' here gets her power from those bracelets and necklace."

"We won't need them. I just need the notes. Thank you, Agent. The federal money will be in your accounts by morning. Have a good night." Donnel nodded and started to head back to the SUV before he called. "And Donnel?"

She stopped and looked over her shoulder at his smirk. "We're extremely close to making our first successful test."

Donnel smirked back then started walking again for the truck while the doctor did the same for his. They were both going to have busy mornings.

~TLO~

Susan could barely sleep. Her mind was troubled, her eyes full of anxiety. After she and Keitlyn returned, the latter walked across the street to her own home while Susan flopped down and cried on the living room couch in hers. The same couch she and her daughter used for movie nights, emotional talks, all sorts of activities. It was so surreal that she witnessed her run away. And it didn't take a genius to know it would be a miracle if she returned.

Then again it was less than twenty-four hours. Will could knock on that door right now and apologize. But she wouldn't have to, Susan would still embrace her back into her care even if she didn't. The only thing is she has to wait for her baby to return. And there was no telling when she did.

The next morning, Susan grumbled awake when someone tapped her shoulder. But her eyes immediately snapped open not even a second later. She tilted her head up and yelled, "WILL?!"

With his hands on his hips and a sorrowful look on his face, Dean shook his head down to her and answered, "Nope. And not even a letter from the police. Or FBI. Sweetheart, I called both of us out today. My lesson plans I sent to Principal Knickerbocker and your boss told you to take as much time as you need."

Susan slowly shook her head then plopped her face back down into the couch pillow. Dean could easily tell Susan was broken from what she said. Those harsh words were biting her in the butt as soon as they left the jail yesterday. Or was it a precinct? Who cares, either way their daughter was gone. Dean couldn't deny that he was just as worried as his wife. But he had to stay strong for the both of them.

"I-I..." Dean focused back on Susan when she sat up and buried her face in her hands. "I'm worried about her, Melissa, all of them. If they don't find them, William's never going to know who his sister is and I'll never get my little girl back. He's going to see all of these pictures..." Susan gestured to all the framed photographs around them while Dean sat next to her on the couch. "He's going to grow up and ask who this is. Then I'm going to have to tell him that's his older sister. He's going to ask where she is and I'm going to have to tell him the truth that.. That I drove her away."

Dean shook his head and said, "Now sweetheart we don't know for sure if it was just your words, I mean _all_ the girls ran away—"

"Dammit, Dean. I told her I wanted her to get the hell out of my house and away from our son, it's my fault. No one else's." Susan pointed to herself and accentuated, "It's _**my**_ fault! Her own mother drove her away." Susan sighed and faced the wooden dining table in front of them again with tears crawling down her face. Then whispered, "I never should have said those awful things to her. Cornelia was right, I... I regret saying it and I'll never say it again. Just... Will, just please come home, baby. Please."

 _ **W~I~T~C~H**_

After the sun rose and shined bright on Meridian, so did her inhabitants. The chickens screeched from the farmer's market, the bugs flew around and bit a few people walking, children rose up early and either went to school or decided to skip it by playing. Others went to work, so on and so forth. But in the castle overlooking the city, Only one out of the six notable visitors were already up.

According to a guard who definitely didn't want to answer her question, Star was directed to the Castle's first candlelit floor for the training arena. Apparently, the castle had a few secrets she nor the other guardians knew about. But it made sense. Out of all the years they knew Elyon, they never actually toured her castle.

Walking down the hall and ignoring the looks from those already up and glaring at her, Star used the air to push open the large double doors at the end of this wide stone hallway, letting her out into a basic training area. There were sandbag test dummies with hay in some parts, dirt, and a weapons stash on the side near the door. Never in her life had Will ever used a sword, a bow and arrow or anything else sharp other than a knife back in fadden. But that was on herself. Not on others.

She was like an expert with a staff though. Star grabbed a steel one from the holds and looked it over. Reflective, heavy, and small in circumference. Just how she likes them. Twirling it clockwise, she walked up to a dummy and swung it over her head. Then sent it sailing into the side of the bag that made up the head. Practicing her martial arts was easy to her. Maybe not to others, but to her this was cake.

The morning sun made her out to be a silhouette. She whirled around and slid her naked foot through the sand to kick dirt into the dummy's face. And still whirling around, swung the staff straight into the right side of the head.

Next target. She used her power over air to somersault over that one. Then land on her shoulders and roll into a standing position to send the butt of the staff into the face of another dummy. In her mind there was a moving target on the left. Star quickly created a red rift she jumped through, coming out on the other side of the target. Then pulled back her fist and sent it sailing into the head of this dummy. The sand in it burst out through the back. Urging another target.

"You're fast." Star whirled around and swung her staff. Then froze it directly at the temple of Caleb behind her. He himself froze and raised his hands slightly with a sword in the right one. Wearing shining and shimmering knight's armor, save for the helmet. Taking a few calming breaths, Star lowered her staff and turned back to what she was doing. It was just Caleb.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. "Thought you didn't like me." Then jabbed her staff through the abdomen of another dummy.

Caleb lowered his hands and stabbed his sword in the ground. Then walked around her to check out the impale. "I still don't. I come here every morning to train on these. But I see you're still destroying things and wrecking property." Star suddenly removed and twirled her staff to hook Caleb's ankle from behind. Then yanked forward, sending him onto his back and facing the sky. He sighed and added in pain, "And people."

"Just people who get on my nerves. It would be smart if you didn't." Star walked around him to head back to the weapons stash. The staff was getting a little old. Nothing brought the juices back like a good fist fight.

Caleb hopped back up and dusted off his shining knight armor. Then looked up to Star and replied, "Yeah, well dad always said I had a hard head."

"Did he ever tell you it was getting worse, or is that the doctor's duty?" Star stopped in front of a dummy and took up her pose. Then sent her right fist sailing into the abdomen of this dummy.

Caleb rolled his eyes and approached Star while the sound of fast thumps flew around the small field. "It's more like 'my opinion.' But since you're here, we could have a little one-on-one?"

"Absolutely not." Star punched the dummy one more time. Then turned to Caleb and jabbed her finger into his steel chest. "I'm already pissed. Sparring with you may leave you gravely injured and could cost my friends and myself the sanctuary of Meridian. So you can forget that." Star removed her hand and turned back to fighting the dummy. "If you were any other person who just wanted to fight, then yeah. But you're not, you're... Caleb, Blunk's friend and Cornelia's ex. Where is he anyway?"

"He moved."

Star punched the dummy one last time then smirked amusedly over her shoulder. "Moved?" She repeated. "To where?"

Caleb shrugged and leaned up against the dummy Star was practicing on. "Dunno. But he's gone. He left shortly after _someone_ turned the sky to fire."

"You're never gonna let that go, are you? I know what I did, you don't have to repeat it." She attempted to focus one more time on the dummy.

But Caleb leaned in and stated, "You trapped me and my men inside of glass, beat up Queen Elyon, and forced her to watch as this kingdom burned to the ground leaving everyone homeless. Of course I'm not going to let that go, are you insane?"

Star sighed and socked the dummy one more time. Then turned to Caleb and said, "I said I was sorry—"

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, 'Star.' Everyone else may believe you've changed, but I see right past your evil eyes." He leaned in really close into her face and growled, "And one day I'm going to prove to everyone you're still a mons—oof!" Caleb went flying back after Star punched him square in the face. Once he was on the ground she grabbed his neck and pulled him into her scowling eyes.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" She yelled. "I _know_ I made a mistake! I _know_ I screwed up! I _know_ what I did is unforgivable! But guess what? _You're_ back to normal! Your _father_ is still alive, your _Queen_ is safe, _everyone_ is okay! _Nobody_ died! _Everything_ is fine! Queen Elyon even got a boyfriend out of this from another country, and possibly even an alliance!" Star shoved him back into the ground and walked away towards a different dummy. "You think you lost everything?" She punched the dummy hard once. "I lost my friends!" Twice. "I lost my family!" Thrice. "And I lost my baby brother, and am now on a fucking hit list from the FBI who _**experimented**_ on past Guardians when they found out!" She punched the dummy so hard it went flying off its stand and into the dirt behind it.

Star took a few deep breaths and unballed her fists while Caleb let all of that sink in. Then turned around and said, "You talk as if everyone is still suffering and dying out here. Everyone is fine. Yes, I made a mistake, and I should be rotting behind bars. But I'm not, and you want to know why? It's because everyone makes mistakes, Caleb! And no tragic deaths occured. Nobody died. Everyone from back then are still alive today.

"But I'm not fine. I made a mistake and I'm already suffering the consequences. I can't see my family anymore. Any chance of going to college is gone. The _others_ can't see their families anymore. My mother disowned me. The last blood family I had left kicked me out, Caleb! I have no one now except these girls and Kandrakar. But I still have no family out here. And if I show back up, I will never see the daylight again. I am forever struck with being the only Vandom until the day I die, Caleb. The person who stuck by me from the very beginning left me when I needed them the most. Now I only have Melissa and my friends with an uncertain future."

Will sighed and plopped down into the sand while tears began to flow down her face. "I'm stuck, Caleb. You're free, but even without the bars I'm still a prisoner. And I put myself there. So go ahead and put me behind bars, it won't change a thing and you know that."

Caleb sighed and looked away for a moment as the wind blew those words around his mind. Then looked back and tried again. "Look Star, I—"

"Just go, Caleb," she ordered. "Since I'm such a monster, then why do you stick around waiting for me to hurt you? Why does... Why does anyone?" Star stood up and made her way for the door with that question in both her and Caleb's mind. He could only watch when she opened the rift and disappeared from sight, leaving him with the destruction of the dummies. And a slight pinch of guilt.

After Star walked through the rift she stepped onto the same balcony from last night and slid up onto the sunny stone ledge to stare out at Meridian. Everyone was fine. Down below she could hear children playing, people shouting, the sounds of working. The tweeting of birds and their animals. The banging of steel from locksmiths and forgers.

But Star could only think about what Caleb called her. A monster. First a tyrant, now a monster. Will admitted to herself that she's strong. But mere words hurt worse than any blade could. Especially from those you love and care about. Will meant it when she said she didn't know why people stuck around her. All of her friends were still around even after beating them all up and tossing them like rag dolls. It would make things much easier if she wasn't around. If she just disappeared and never returned. According to Susan she was a freaking Tyrant, and according to Caleb she was a monster. What was she to everyone else?

"Well, you're a friend for one." Star gasped and turned around to face Taranee in her Guardian form. She was leaning a few feet away against the entrance with her arms crossed and eyes behind the glasses trained on her. With a slight smile.

Will sighed and delivered a smile of her own. Then whispered, "Hey... How you doin?'"

"I'd feel a lot better if you dropped this pity party for yourself and for me. You're way stronger than that." With her arms still crossed and eyes on Star, Taranee buzzed over and lightly landed on the ledge with her. "Star, you're not a monster."

"How much did you hear?"

"I was calling your name back there but you probably didn't hear me. But I listened to your mind." That's right, Taranee could read minds. Star grunted in self-annoyance. "I know you know about... What happened to me."

Star scooted closer and asked, "I would honestly feel better if you were okay."

Taranee smiled and answered, "Yeah, uhhh Hay... Hay-Lin's helping out."

Star smiled and nodded. "Great."

"And I'd feel better if you were okay too, but you're obviously not."

"Taranee, I'm—"

"Don't lie to me, Star. Out of our little group of survivors, no one can read depression and isolation like myself. You were beating yourself up again. Why?"

Star tightened her lips and faced the kingdom. Memorizing the majesty and natural beauty of this magical world. It took a few seconds but Star finally asked, "Why... Why did you girls let me back in?"

Taranee looked Star over while she nervously stroked her head of long red hair. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Star faxed her and clarified further, "I almost killed you all with no signs of remorse until Melissa got me down. I forced Elyon to watch this beautiful place burn. Then I interrupted a sacred site on Hootakah, invaded Kandrakar and kicked Kadma's ass, damaged it and put a big hole in the floor you guys somehow fixed, not to mention put a brick to the head of Mariho. I almost _killed_ her! Let alone you, Taranee. You would have died when I broke that day." Taranee glanced to the doorway for a second then focused back on Star. She was gripping the stone ledge so hard that her knuckles were becoming even more white. "T, I was going to _kill_ you. I was going to take that shank and shove it straight through your chest for a petty rock! Does that not make me a monster? A Tyrant?"

"No, Star. It just..." Taranee didn't know what to say. This was something she unfortunately didn't have an answer to.

Star shook her head and whispered, "I'm a terrible, _awful_ person Taranee. I screwed up and I screwed up big time. I made a huge mistake and lost everything in the process. And I can never forget that mistake so long as I have this burn and these remnants. I'm blind in one eye, and I lost my family because of it. I... I can never see my little brother again. Cornelia and Irma can't either. And it's all my fault."

"Dammit, Will, you need to stop this pity party!" Taranee slid off the ledge then walked over and grabbed Star by the shoulders to pierce her sight into her eyes. "Yes, you screwed up extremely bad and people almost died. You turned into a girl who wanted revenge and almost got it. Everyone were powerless against you and we _still_ are. If we wanted to fight you again, we'd definitely lose. But we knew that the Will Vandom we know and love was still in there." Taranee placed an index finger on her chest and tapped it. "The same one whose been around on all our missions to defeat Phobos, Nerissa, and the others. The one who comforts us when we were down. Our fearless leader before Hay-Lin. And the same Guardian we will never forget. Not to mention our friend."

Taranee let Star's shoulders go and stepped back. "I know you think just because Melissa has your former role makes you feel bad and that you don't belong. But you are still a Guardian. You were there with us before and you still are. As Starfire. And we still love you."

Star sighed and touched her Remnant, morphing back into the villainess they all knew, with everything black except her wrists and ankles, and red eyes. The wind blew strong for a moment, blowing her hair out of place and revealing her burn. Taranee was right. Even though she may look different, talk a little different, the same ol' Will was underneath. "Even like this?"

"Yes. Because underneath that black and dark outfit, you're still the same girl who offered us cookies on the first day we met you."

Lightly chuckling, Star nodded to the ground then smiled back up to Taranee. "Thanks, T."

Taranee patted her hand and genuinely asked, "Gonna stop this pity party now? Your first mission is tomorrow night." Star tilted her head to the side, urging her to explain. "Elyon was looking for you earlier. Her 'Knight in Shining Armor' is leaving tomorrow night so he could be back home by the morning."

Star slid off the ledge next to Taranee and stated, "Sounds to me like he's sneaking around." Then made her way to the door.

Taranee shrugged and commented, "Love makes you do that..."

Star glanced her way in concern when a few servants passed. She was definitely feeling some type of way. Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, Star said, "Hey. You and Hay will work out. You two know each other as much as Melissa and myself do. Now if only we could pair up Cornelia and Irma."

Taranee snorted and retorted, "Yeah that's about as likely to happen as Cornelia finding a working cell phone." The two laughed and traveled farther from the balcony to turn a corner out of sight.

Taranee informed her, "Elyon briefed us earlier. She went to Kandrakar to get a list for us."

"Our missions?"

Taranee nodded and answered, "Yeah. Yours start tomorrow evening, but ours is the following morning."

Star nodded and fluttered down a single dark stairwell behind Taranee. "Any idea what I'm dealing with?"

"She said Glint would tell you on the day of. He obviously wants to turn into Caleb and not look like he's weak. I wonder how it's working out for him." They landed on the bottom floor and made their way towards a specific room with a lot of female chatter behind two wooden doors.

"I like to be informed before then, but I can't have everything." Waving her hand back, Star pulled the doors open, quieting the Guardians relaxing inside.

There was a furnace attached to the far brick wall that Melissa was gazing into with Irma. Cornelia and Hay were on the sides drinking something on some wooden benches. But when Cornelia spotted Star, she announced, "Here's your treasure, Melissa! Where have you been? We just burned our clothes."

Star flew over the table to Melissa when she turned around, and answered, "I was in the arena training. Then your ex showed up and we had some choice words again. Good morning. Miss me?"

"Do you even have to ask?" She and Star shared a quick kiss for a moment. "Leave a note next time."

Irma levitated a cup into Star's hands and said, "Yeah, he's not the only one who has a few choice words around here. A few guys walking by preferred to say things to themselves other than to you. A lot of the populace find you untrustworthy, thus the reason Queen Elyon wanted you to escort Glint."

Star blinked and took a sip of the liquid. It tasted like a bunch of fruits mashed together and juiced. "...what?" She asked. Then took another taste.

Hay-Lin grabbed Taranee's hand and said, "Elyon knows how difficult it is for you to get accepted back into society with your record. Everyone here knows that you're 'the witch who destroyed their homes.'"

Star shook her head and answered, "Sorry, I'm not a WITCH anymore. And from what I gather it's MITCH now."

"Yeah. But Elyon said they also know how much Glint means to her. If you escort him safely back home tomorrow and he confirms it with a mirror connection, it will raise your cred here. As well as other missions. And seriously? MITCH?"

"Yeah. Remember when we came up with WITCH? _You_ were actually the one who came up with the idea. You wrote it on your hand and was all excited. I think you had braces or something."

The others nodded and stated their agreements with nods or other gestures, save for Melissa. Hay-Lin shrugged and sat down with Taranee. "Yeah that is true. But come on, MITCH? Yeah, no acronyms this time. First it was C.H.Y.K.N. Next it was W.I.T.C.H. Now it's... M.I.T.C.H. I'm just not feeling it now. Besides we're all girls, not... 'Mitches.'"

Cornelia shrugged and looked around. Will and Melissa were shagged up, Hay-Lin and Taranee were cuddled together... That's a strange mix. But they're cute together too. Cornelia finished her beverage and asked, "So is everybody gay now, or..."

The room grew silent for a second and everyone tried to look at everyone. Hay-Lin broke it and answered, "Guys weren't working out. They're so eager to see the Honeypot they'll take you on a date and suffer through listening to you drone on about school, the girl in your class, and the most biggest drama ever just to _look._ Yeah, I'd rather date someone who has what I have. Not to mention if he can't get it in Heatherfield he'll pull up and old crush and ask her."

"Yeesh, bite his neck off will ya? How about—"

"You guys already know what happened," Taranee whispered.

Once again a silence that was broken five seconds later by Melissa clearing her throat and asking, "I'm feeling left out here. What happened with T's relationship?"

Taranee shook her head and whispered, "There was no relationship. It was just a hit and run." Hay-Lin wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close into her neck. She could possibly break down again. But as of last night, she learned that Taranee depended heavily on intimacy of the non-sexual type to calm her down.

Melissa was still a little confused obviously, but Star pinged, _"I'll tell you later."_ After a nod, Melissa gestured to the girl in her arms and said, "You guys already know I'm a lesbian, and Star here is a looker. Especially when she wears black. My favorite color." Smirking, Star reached up and changed back into a redhead. "Oh, and I also like emo girls."

The Guardians laughed while Star playfully popped her hand. Then leaned up and kissed her on the lips while returning back to Starfire. After that it was her turn. "...Melissa's hot,sweet, and gentle. You girls already know I don't have a preference. And..." She winked and added, "She tastes good."

"TMI, darkness," Irma teased. "We don't need to know how she—actually, is it more like watermelon or a sweet grape? Oh! Blueberry?"

Star rolled her eyes and waved her hand, playfully forcing a small stream of that juice to rise out and splash Irma in the face. "She tastes like that."

Melissa broke that conversation by placing her hand over Star's mouth and yelling, "Annnnd we're done with that conversation—stop licking. Hay-Lin?"

Hay-Lin and Taranee stifled their laughter so she could say what she had to. "Well I'm pretty sure it goes without saying we are not returning to Earth unless a mission requires us to." Star mumbled something smart but Hay-Lin ignored it. "And in symbolization of that, we all somehow came to the same mentality of burning our Earth belongings to symbolize that. Except what we gave to each other, such as the pendant we all gave to... Star."

Star sighed and reached her hand up to her neck to dig into her black top. Then slowly pulled out the chain with the pendant on it. Star sighed and flipped it open to look at the photograph of them when they were younger. At a birthday party more than likely. A content smile broke onto Star's face. Her eye was filled with peace while she stroked the image with her finger. "Did I ever thank you guys for this?" She whispered.

Irma finished wiping her face off and answered, "Well it was literally before the Oracle told us about the power switch and you were still Normal Little Will then. I'm absolutely positive you thanked us."

Star glanced up at Irma. Then let the pendant go to show over the Remnant of Quintessence. "Well... Thanks again. I never had a proper sixteenth birthday party that day, but it's okay. Besides, nothing's better than kicking it back with the Queen again."

"Speaking of the Queen... She wants to see a 'Star?'" All eyes turned to the door when one was slightly pulled open. Then a young girl wearing a large yellow outfit walked in with her hands clasped by her waistline. She looked like one of the citizens down in Meridian but _wayyy_ younger. She was literally the same size as a young entry level middle schooler. She had dark brown skin with short dark purple hair. Her eyes were a bright neon green and ears like an elf's. Just much bigger. And light green. Taranee swore she could see straight through them.

Hay-Lin stood up and greeted, "Hello. I'm Hay-Lin, a Guardian of the Veil, and Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar. And you are?"

The girl bowed and closed her eyes to greet, "I am Sarah Mercee. I'm one of the younger servants under Queen Elyon and under her tutelage. The Queen wants to see both me and... Starfire."

She added that last bit with a growl, Star noticed. But she went ahead and walked over. Then looked over her shoulder and said, "I'll be in touch."

Melissa nodded once she and Sarah walked out. Then the door closed, leaving them alone without Star once again. Melissa looked down to Hay-Lin and asked, "What was that about?"

She could only shake her head and shrug. The others no better.

~TLO~

The walk up the stairs to Queen Elyon's throne room was a little tense. Star had a few questions about this girl, but managed to keep quiet. They were both summoned to the throne room. Why? Did someone already blame her for something she definitely didn't do? She just couldn't get a break could she? The entire trek was completely silent. Even when they reached the throne room, they didn't talk. Star was about to knock, but she was sure Sarah meaningfully did it first in a childish manner. Not to mention it was backed up by that scowl she was shooting her way.

"Enter!" Sarah pushed the door open a little aggressively and walked in ahead of Star, leaving her in the imaginary dust. Just like usual, Caleb was in there reading a book or something next to her throne outlined with a few more guards all eyeing Star with a look of distaste. She just ignored it and moved along. She recognized a few of them as the same guys she froze in ice against the wall down in the cells below the castle. How nice of them that they didn't even recognize her.

Elyon was situated on her throne wearing an elegant dress. Eyeing them as they walked over.

Star smiled and bowed once they reached her. "Good morning, Queen Elyon. How are you? Nice dress. Let me guess: Boy toy."

While the others stared at her appalled, Elyon laughed and answered, "Not even, try again. I made this one myself. Tell Cornelia she can gander at them later."

"Sure. I was told you wanted to see me?"

Elyon nodded and stood up, urging Caleb to as well while she walked down towards her. "Yes, I do. I see you have met my tutelage, Sarah Mercee. She's learning under me." While Elyon ran a hand through Sarah's hair, Will made a confused look at Elyon. "Yes, I teach."

"Holy crap."

"Anyway. Based off of what Caleb told me, you've been having a tough time fitting in with Meridian once again?"

Star glanced over to Caleb who smirked and winked at her. Either he was getting revenge or was generally trying to help. It depended on what Elyon was doing. Star nodded and shrugged, answering, "Eh, in a way. Kind of hard to fit in with anyone since you invaded or burned down their city."

"Well as a sign of peace, I'm giving my tutelage an assignment for three months. You're both nearly the same age, she's fifteen and you're sixteen. But you both can learn from each other. I'm assigning her to... Escort or hang with you for at least three hours a day."

Will and Sarah both yelled, "With _her?!_ _**Three hours?!**_ "

Will waved her hand and shook her head. "Elyon, I'm sure I'll be fine on my own. Besides I have the girls—"

"Will they'll be with you regardless, especially Melissa. If you stick around a fellow Meridian, then it will look good for you even more than escorting Glint back home."

While Star's mind tried to process this, Sarah stammered, "B-But Queen Elyon, she's... Evil!!"

Star rolled her eyes but didn't pay much attention to her. She was going to get much used to it. Elyon shook her head and said. "Maybe when she attacked. But underneath that scary exterior is a Past Guardian of the Veil and an extremely big egghead." Ignoring Star's playful Raspberry, Elyon placed her hand on her shoulder and added, "I know you're extremely wary of her. But give her a chance."

Sarah huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't like this. I don't like _her!_ She destroyed my home and the homes of my family and friends, and you expect me to play nice with her?!"

"The feeling's mutual, rugrat." Star crossed her own arms and said, "Elyon? I love you, I do. But what exactly can I learn from her?"

Elyon made a few hand gestures and answered, "Well how to be nice, for one."

"She's been giving me a stink eye ever since we first met, I have yet to see a genuine smile. I know I'm not the nicest person around, but jeez. Really?"

Elyon rolled her eyes and sighed. She knew it was going to be a tough job getting these two to cooperate. But she had a job to do. So Elyon had to use the dirty way to get them to work. Sarah had a bit of a dark mouth when it came down to people she didn't like, or even hated. So she was going to use that, and Will's anger to make this happen.

Elyon looked up to Star and answered, "Let's be honest here, Star. You are all going back to Earth someday and you will encounter a few people you wish you never saw again. Say... Your mother? Your father? Your baby brother?" Elyon glanced to Sarah, waiting for the desired effect.

Caleb had to close his eyes before it came. Crossing her arms, Sarah asked, "Baby brother? Is he as evil as you?"


	30. Star's First Assignment(Intermission)

**Star's First Assignment(Intermission)**

Not many can say that losing their child isn't a scary thing. Because it is. Taranee's family, Hay-Lin's family, Melissa's family across the street, Irma's family nearby, and Cornelia's family were all distraught. And Susan was blaming herself for their loss.

Dean had went back to work, leaving her at home with William alone. Of course losing their only daughter was a huge problem, but there was nothing they could really do unless they get a phone call. They could look all over Heatherfield, but with no leads it was going to be a waste of time. The police and FBI had a better chance of finding them than anyone else.

But Susan was beginning to believe they weren't looking for them. They got no calls, and when she did all she got was, "Sorry, ma'am. The report hasn't been updated." Which meant Will was still missing.

The house was so quiet without her around. The couch Susan shared with her was so depressing with the thought that Will wouldn't be joining her on it if they didn't find her. Not to mention whatever this Guardian business was. It was dangerous and Susan couldn't help but feel a little upset about it. But she also vowed to just listen to Will instead of acting out in anger ever again. What she yelled at her was so unacceptable.

As Susan sat there on that couch with little William in her arms and her sight trained on the blank TV, her mind came up with so many thoughts about what she could be going through. What could be going on wherever Will was.

Before someone knocked on the door. Susan looked back. Then quickly stood up to approach. With one hand holding William, she quickly unlocked and pulled it open. She was a little disappointed, but surprised at who was standing there. Tom Lair. Irma's father. Dressed and ready for work.

He had his hat off and was looking up to her with respect. The sunlight outside reflected off his badge and a little into her eye. "Hello, Susan," he greeted.

Susan nodded and greeted blandly, "Hello, Tom. How are you?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Not good. Have you heard anything? I couldn't find your number."

Susan shook her own head and gestured for him to come inside. Then closed the door when he did with timid footsteps. Tom stopped in front of the living room and observed all the images of their family on their walls. "It's a lovely family you have."

Susan walked past into the kitchen and replied sadly, "Yeah, well... It will never be the same without Will in it. Would you like something to drink?"

Tom followed her and answered, "Whatever you prefer would be greatly appreciated. While I was out, I've been... Keeping an eye out just like any other officer. No sight of anything." Susan silently cursed and placed a cup of lemonade in front of him she had poured. Tom grabbed it and nodded up to her. Then said, "But I did come across something I think you should hear."

Susan nodded and sat down across from him. Urging him to continue with a nod of her head. "I ran into three girls who said they knew Will from Fadden Hills." He took a sip of his Lemonade and put a smile on his face.

 _Fadden?_ Well that rang a familiar bell. Susan asked, "What were their names?"

Tom leaned back in his chair and answered, "Vanhoovens. They're sisters."

"Vanhoovens?" Susan leaned forward and whispered, "They sound familiar."

Tom shrugged and stated, "They admitted to being a bully to Will in the past. Ring any bells?"

Susan snapped her finger and pointed at him. "Was one named Cecelia?"

"Yep. Cecelia, Stacy-"

"And Mary, those three little sea monsters. They terrified Will. What about them?"

Tom shrugged and answered, "Well recently, we found a little something about them. They moved down here. Alone. Well more like dropped off."

Confused, Susan asked, "Runaways? Not surprised."

Tom shook his head and asked, "Nope. Survivors. Their parents were murdered and they were shipped down here by the same assholes who did it." Tom took a sip of Lemonade while that set in.

Susan blinked with wide open eyes and repeated in horror, "M-Murdered? Oh my god, what happened?"

Tom sighed and answered, "Yeah. We did a bit of a background check, the story's legit. Their parents were found dead inside their home from multiple bullet wounds. The front door was kicked open. According to themselves, those three were dropped off here in Heatherfield by the same guys who did it and more than likely tried to make it seem like matricide. Dirtbags. But back to the subject. I passed by them earlier on the street and they said that Will and her friends actually sort of saved their lives."

Susan slowly sat back and repeated, "Saved their lives?"

Tom slowly nodded and clarified, "According to Stacy, she saw Will use her 'special abilities' the day before she and her sisters were taken in. And had followed her back to their place of residence. They found out before everyone else and gave them the push to come out and talk about it. Without them, the Vanhooven Sisters probably never would have talked about that night to the police the next day. And those guys might've come after them. Your daughter... She's a good person."

~TLO~

One second, Sarah's feet were on the ground. The next she was a few inches in the air after Starfire grabbed her by the neck and hoisted her up, desperately clawing at her arm. Queen Elyon raised her free hand to cease the progression of her Guards while she herself had her eyes to the ground and tongue in her cheek.

Star pulled Sarah closer to her face and glared into her neon green eyes. And growled through her teeth, "Don't you ever talk about my brother like that again. Or else I'll show you how evil I can _really_ get. I don't care if you're nine." Starfire's famed fire snake slowly crawled up out of that same arm for Sarah's face. She started to whimper, shaking a little in Star's grip.

Elyon sighed and ordered, "Enough, Star. Put her down." Elyon's voice pulled Star from the realm of anger and back into the present. Her double vision disappeared, she released Sarah and the snake diminished.

While she was coughing on the floor, Star crossed her arms and turned to Elyon. "Fine, I'll do it. But only if we play by my rules. If she's going to be in my classroom, she's going to follow class rules."

Sarah finally got her wits back and hectically stood up. "M-M-M... Elyon! You **_can't_** be serious!"

Star pointed at her and said, "Rule number one. Don't say anything smart about me. If you do, I'll throw you into an endless rift loop."

Everyone looked at her with crickets in their heads, ignorant of that term and definition. Star decided she may as well show them. She looked past Elyon and up the stairs to call, "Caleb, come here please?"

As much as he didn't want to, he walked past Queen Elyon and faced Star with curiosity. "What's a rift loop?"

Star smiled and answered, "A rift loop is something I created when I was bored one day. It's a looping rift." Still crickets. "Ugh. It works like this. I open a rift..." Star shot a tiny bolt of lighting behind Caleb, creating two rifts behind him and her. "Then I toss something through it."

Star waved her hand and blew Caleb into it like he was kicked in the stomach. Then moved out of the way when he flew out the one behind her back into the original screaming. "This is for setting me up like this."

Elyon tracked him with her eyes before he started going faster into a high pitched line. She ordered, "Let him go, Star."

Star shot a bolt at the original rift and closed it, then caught Caleb with air before he could hit the stone wall across. Sarah shook her head and said, "There's no way you're putting me through that."

Star was about to make another one but Elyon's hand on hers stopped that. By this point, everyone knew that Star would do anything now. "Follow Star's instructions, and you won't have to. Star isn't evil, she just has evil ways of getting your attention."

Star tapped her remnant and turned back to leather clad, redhead Will. Coming to the same size as Elyon. "Just be nice and I'll be nice. Oh and meet me at the hillside tomorrow morning before the sun rises. You'll find out a lot more about me than you think you know."

And with that, Will teleported out of sight and left the space with peace. Once she was gone, Elyon rubbed Sarah's back and said in a soothing voice, "Just give her a chance. You may like her."

Sarah looked the other way and sighed. The Queen may be right. Besides, she's always told her to never judge a book by its cover. "Alright, I'll... Give it a shot."

Elyon grinned and stroked her dark purple hair. "That's all I'm asking for. Hey. Maybe one day you'll get to be a warrior just like her." Sarah shrugged and looked away. But Elyon could still see that smile she gets on her face when she's daydreaming.

"Yeah. Maybe."

Elyon chuckled and lightly patted her back. "But remember. Star can become really serious at times. So just in case, arrive at the hillside tomorrow earlier. Get up, put on some clothes, and get prepared to go out."

Sarah looked back up to her concerned and asked, "But what if she hurts me?"

"She won't. I assure you. Now go play."

Sarah smiled and pierced her green eyes into Elyon's. Then wrapped her arms around Elyon's waist when her green ears glowed. Her eyes and ears change into different colors whenever she's excited and happy.

Elyon wouldn't have it any other way.

~TLO~

After Star left, the girls decided to talk about something that Cornelia really really _really_ wanted to talk about. Raising her hand out of sight, she said, "Are we seriously not going back to earth?"

Taranee smirked at her in Hay-Lin's hold and asked, "Already missing your phone?"

"Actually I'm missing a regular toilet, basic electricity, and basic _fashion_ sense." She gestured to the leather crop top she was wearing and leather skirt. "I don't think this is going to work out with me."

"And Cornelia finally admits that she can't take Meridian fashion seriously." Star walked in from behind Cornelia and patted her shoulder teasingly. "I think it's great."

Cornelia crossed her arms while she passed for Melissa and stated, "You were the first to go nude and wear this stuff. There isn't even any underwear!"

"You'll be fine." Star leaned down and pressed her lips to Melissa's. "Guys, I love Elyon. I do. But that student of hers..."

"Student?" Hay-Lin smiled and asked, "She's a teacher?"

Star sat down next to Melissa and answered, "Well that's what she told me. Apparently, she has a class. But that's beside the point. Elyon wants me to hang with that mole of a child for three hours a day. Thanks to Caleb."

Cornelia covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her laughter. "Wait, she assigned you to hang out? With a Meridian? Is that a good idea?"

Star shrugged and answered, "Don't know. But I'll find out tomorrow morning. I told her to meet me at the hillside west of Meridian so we can have a heart to heart chat."

Taranee shrugged and said, "Maybe she's not as bad as you think she is. Yeah, get to know each other and you may find you have something or even more similar about each other. Just give it a chance."

Star sighed and leaned her head back up to the ceiling. "Yeah, I don't have a choice anyway. It was an order."

~TLO~

Two whole days, no words. Judge Cook was getting nervous. She couldn't even make it to the courthouse today. Not with the thought that Taranee wasn't in her room when she and Nigel woke up. She knew because she stood in Taranee's doorway and just stared at Taranee's empty bed with crossed arms. Highlighted by the morning sun.

Nothing hurts worse than a mother's longing. Silent tears leaked from her tired eyes. Her body still in thought. The others were no better. Little brothers, little sisters, and parents were all in an awkward state of nonchalance while they sat by and just thought.

Cornelia's family was sitting by on the couch doing nothing while Lilian was upstairs getting ready for school. Even though her oldest daughter was missing, Elizabeth had to slip on her glasses, brush her short blonde hair, and be presentable enough for work today at the museum. But even she couldn't deny, she'd rather be at home waiting for her daughter to return.

Anna Lair wasn't all that excited either. Dressed in her long sleeved blue turtleneck, she could only stare into Irma's silent room while holding her son to her stomach. Chris was really upset when Irma wasn't around to tease him and vice versa. This morning wasn't better. Tom had already left, leaving Anna to their son. All wishing she-as well as the others-would return.

And they were too. It's not everyday your parents get to witness you with superpowers in front of the police. And the first thing you do is run away. Some good things came out of it. Taranee admitted her feelings and secret of her rape, Hay-Lin admitted her feelings for Taranee, and Will was getting better. Even after being slapped, scolded, and disowned by her mother. Cornelia and Irma were pretty nonchalant about it...

And Melissa had never left Star's side. And Star had never left hers. Two lovebirds watching the morning sky. Well Melissa was watching while Star was washing down behind her in a ceramic tub from their shared bathroom. Covered in suds, she said, "We really should make our own place. You know we can."

Melissa turned around and walked back to the area behind Will. She was playing with her hair while she was bathing. This was a new level of intimacy they were trying out. Will wasn't playing when she said she was a grower. Maybe ask for a razor?

Melissa took a seat in the chair and replied through a sigh, "I guess so."

Will stopped washing her leg for a moment and allowed Melissa to get her scalp. But it wasn't as... Close as before. Will reached up and touched her leg, ceasing her ministrations. "What's wrong?" She asked. She knew Melissa well enough to recognize when something was bugging her.

Melissa sighed and stroked her hair. She admitted, "...I miss mom and dad I guess."

Star blinked her eyes to the wall. Then rolled her body over so she was looking up to Melissa. "Do you want to go see them?"

Melissa sighed and let her hand go to think. "Well... Yeah, but we're wanted citizens. I can't just walk over there, knock on the door and say hi."

Will's smirk let her know that she knew something she didn't. "Yeah, you can."

Melissa sighed and deadpanned, "What aren't you telling me?"

Star placed her hands on Melissa's thighs and rose slightly out of the tub. "Well I figured that since you and the rest of the Guardians have a pretty good bond with your families that you'd want to at least step foot on Earth to see each other. And explain things once the heat calms down. Check the pocket on my skirt."

Melissa stood up and walked out the bathroom to grab Star's skirt lying on her bed. Made out of some "very thin grass as strong as malleable steel." That's what a servant said when they gave it to her. And it held true when she tried to rip it on the way back into the bathroom. It was very thick. It looked like a regular light brown skirt, just without fiber.

Ignoring Will's curious look, Melissa reached into the side pocket of the skirt and slowly pulled out four bracelets. Glowing red. Melissa slowly held them up and asked, "Star... What are these?"

" _Those_ are Quintessence Bands. Turns out I can actually transfer Quintessence onto inanimate objects. There's enough in there to get you there and back. As much as you'd like. Don't lose them. Hay-Lin already has the Heart of Kandrakar, so she doesn't need one."

Melissa held an open mouth with brown eyes full of wonder on the bracelets. Will made these?! "I fucking love you, redhead." She stashed the bands back in Star's skirt and quickly planted a kiss on her lips that Star melted into. Like a thousand strawberries she'll never get tired of having.

Star pulled back and asked, "When do you want to go? Because I'm not letting you go alone."

Melissa straightened up and answered, "Whenever you have time."

Star smiled and stated, "There's no time like the present. If I'm correct, then your parents probably aren't sleeping."

Melissa shrugged and was about to respond. But something wasn't right. She pointed an index finger to Will and asked, "What about-"

"Nope." Will shook her head and added, "I'm not visiting my family. I'm not welcome there anymore. The only way I'm talking to them is if they manage to catch me walking and pull me into a conversation. Other than that, nope. No way."

Melissa sighed and plopped down into her chair again. Time for a serious conversation. "Will, please. I know what Susan said, but like you told us she's been there since the beginning. I'm absolutely positive she didn't mean it."

Will groaned and sat up, exposing her naked wet body without a care in the world. Melissa's already seen everything anyway. "Exactly. I'm absolutely sure she's tired of it too. Whenever I get upset I have a breakdown and it causes mom to jump into action. And this was the biggest one yet. She didn't say 'get out of the house.' She said, 'Get out of my _life_.' As in she didn't even want me around anymore. She was tired of taking care of me."

Melissa sighed and said, "Then maybe you guys just need to be apart for awhile."

"Melissa, if I go back over there, she's not going to let me leave. Yeah, we can be apart. But Elyon was right. Eventually, we're all going to have to come back. We're all going to have to come home. We can stay here for days, weeks, months, even years. But we will return. And I don't want to be controlled by her anymore when I do. And if I contact her, she's going to want to control me again. You guys can talk to your parents if you want to. But I'm not going to. Mom... Susan already said what she had to say. And she meant it, so... No more Will. Only Star."

"Will-"

"End of conversation. Let's go visit your parents. We can't stay long though." Will stepped out of the tub and zipped a nearby towel into her hand to dry off. Leaving Melissa with her final decision. No Vandoms. Just Cordeaus. _"Star to Hay, wake up."_

 _"...Will?"_ Hay-Lin groaned and removed her arm from around Taranee's clasping hand. _"What's up?"_

 _"Melissa and I are going back to Earth for a little family reunion. She's homesick."_

 _"...Aren't we all. Be careful and stay out of any others' sight, alright? Check in, when you return."_

 _"Gotcha."_ Star finished putting on her clothes and turned around to face Melissa in her own clothes. The same thing Star was wearing, just blue. Star smirked and commented, "You're showing your legs again."

Melissa rolled her eyes and walked Will's way. Then playfully flicked her breast when she walked past. "And you're not wearing a bra. Hmmm..."

Star smirked and walked into the bedroom after her. Lit only by a candle that she blew out, basking the room into the incandescent glow of the moon breaching in through the bathroom window. Will sighed and stared at it for a moment, watching the smoke die before she looked back into Melissa's expectant eyes. Full of life, even at two in the morning beside her. Raising her hand, Star said, "Until the sun breaches the horizon. They wouldn't want to go to back to sleep anyway once they see you. Okay? We can't risk being there too long."

Melissa nodded and faked a, "Scout's honor."

Star playfully rolled her eyes. Then raised her right hand, glowing red. "Alright. I'm rifting us to their back door. Does your house have any alarms?"

Melissa shook her hand and answered, "No, but there's a backup key that dad stashes in the back I can get to now."

Star nodded. Then swiped her arm and created a red rift that she walked into first. Followed by Melissa. Just as expected, they walked into Melissa's fenced-in backyard. Void of any disturbances and noise, save for the birds chirping from the tree above them near the grill and basketball goal. The only things sitting out here. She didn't even know Melissa liked sports.

Star looked back to Melissa and whispered, "I just realized your family is very organized."

Melissa smirked and replied, "You're just now figuring that out, redhead?" She playfully patted her back then faced the back door. Realization settled in her mind. She was going to face her parents after admitting to having wings and powers. Not to mention it, they witnessed it at the station. Melissa was starting to turn into Hay-Lin. Cold feet, dry mouth...

A hand slipping into her hand reminded her that she wasn't alone. Literally. Star smiled at her and said, "You're never alone, 'Lissa. I'm going to be here too."

Melissa nodded then pecked Will on the forehead. She could always count on Will to be here with her. Even when she may in fact not be wanted. "Thanks, redhead."

"You're welcome, 'Lissa." Star pulled away and let Melissa go make her way for her family. This may happen a bunch of times in the future with the other girls too. Hay-Lin would let them know. Star sighed with that thought in mind. Then followed after Melissa for the door. She didn't feel like being a creep. At least this morning.


	31. The Guardians' Message

**The Guardians' Message**

Ever since Melissa disappeared with the other girls, Keitlyn hasn't been able to sleep. Nor any of the others out there she's met as far as she could tell. All were tossing and turning. Waiting for the thoughts to clear their heads. The thoughts of whatever's going on over there wherever their girls were.

The thoughts were so intense, Keitlyn decided to sit up in bed and rub her eyes. There was no point in sleeping. No point in trying to drown out the sorrow with television or wake her husband.

Until a squeak downstairs traveled up the staircase and reached her ears. The sound made her heart stop. She knew that sound anywhere. When they first got this house, that noise irked her a lot.

It was the sound of the back door opening. Someone unauthorized was in the house.

Keitlyn immediately grabbed the arm lying dormant on Samuel's chest and shook him. "Samuel," she whispered. When he didn't stir, she shook harder and patted his arm, successfully ripping him from his dreams and into to the present.

He cracked his eyes open and trained them on Keitlyn's worried face. The one where it looks like she's about to cry... Wait. The serious worried face. Samuel sat up and whispered, "What is it?"

She jabbed her finger repeatedly towards the door and answered, "The back door opened. Someone's in the house."

That got his attention. Samuel slowly flipped the covers and slid out the bed onto the cool wooden floors. Exposing his naked toned back. He usually sleeps with his shirt off anyway. If Keitlyn heard something, then it was there. She was rarely wrong.

Samuel creeped across to the doorway and dresser packed with photos and hair supplies, then flattened his back against the wall beside it and listened in. Keitlyn followed after and hid behind him to do the exact same thing.

Melissa was the first to walk in. Closet for shoes on the right next to a connection for the kitchen, and a blank wall on the left. Once she was in, Star followed and calmly closed the door back. "Why are we being quiet again," she pinged.

"My parents make a mess of themselves whenever they're freaked out," she answered. "It's better to ease them in."

"Whatever you say, baby." Melissa smirked and lightly slapped Will's arm. Then continued walking on air for the living room. It was so quiet in here at night. The Vandom residence was a bit more lively at night while here it was more dead. No wonder she liked sleeping there more.

Just like how she expected it. A quiet living room. Lifeless photos seen only by the living room lamp. Everything was so... Not Cordeau. Star could barely stand it. "I'm more used to you guys being noisy," she made known. Melissa walked into the middle of the living room and looked around when she added, "So... How do you do this?"

"Easy." Melissa smiled. Then shocked Will with, "It's really quiet in here!"

Will almost had a heart when she yelled. Then instinctively turned invisible when someone came a rumblin' down those stairs. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you better—MELISSA!" Keitlyn threw the hairbrush she weaponized to the side and ran from in front of the stairs to around the couch. And literally tackled Melissa into a hug onto it.

Samuel came down next and didn't even say a word. He just got on the other side and pulled them both into a hug. Star meanwhile stood to the side and just watched Keitlyn cry into her hair. "Oh my god, are..." She let her go then stepped back to look her over. Specifically the strange clothes she was wearing. "Oh my god, are you okay? What are you wearing, what happened, where have you been? And... What happened at the station? How did you... I'm confused. And tired."

Melissa grabbed her parents' hands before their minds could start clonking out. "Okay, both of you sit down. I have a lot to tell you."

"Yeah, you do!" Samuel sat down on the only couch with Keitlyn while Melissa took the floor in front of them. Facing her parents and Will, who shimmered back into view.

With desperate eyes on Melissa, Keitlyn asked, "What is the FBI talking about, what exactly is going on?"

Melissa sighed and decided she might as well start from the beginning. She glanced up to think and answered, "Well to make a long story short, thanks to some kind of prophecy, I have been granted the ability to control air." Melissa raised a hand and blew a careful breeze into her mother's face, making her shriek for a second in surprise. Then calm down and stare at her daughter frozen.

Samuel was too. But a lot less so than her. Breaking out of his trance, he stammered, "D-Do it again." Melissa complied by playfully blowing a strong breeze from her mouth into his face, forcing him back into the couch. Hard. Keitlyn gasped and just stared with her mouth open. At least she broke out of it. For a second.

Ceasing it, Melissa explained, "Me and four others all have different powers: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Quintessence, which is basically life and energy itself. Creating the Guardians of the Veil."

Keitlyn held up her hands and said, "Wait... Are these four the same girls who you talk about a lot? Taramar and Cornemo?" Star had to stifle her laughter. And not just because of those names for Taranee and Cornelia. But because it was such a Keitlyn thing.

Melissa pulled in her lips and nodded, confirming their suspicions. Shooting up, Samuel exploded in anger, "Did they force you into this?!"

Melissa immediately shook her head and answered, "No, no, there were just four of them before we met. Then I told them I sneezed and trashed my room. And they were like, 'Oh yeah, you are one of us.' And I was all, 'what?'"

Star shook her head and made a mental note of asking how Melissa actually reacted when she got her powers. And status. She never bothered to. It was something to learn for sure.

Samuel waved his hand and asked, "Wait, wait... How long has this been going on?"

Melissa seethed and quickly whispered, "A few months for me and three years for them, but—"

"Three years?!" They yelled. Keitlyn pulled Samuel back down when he stood up and asked, "Wait... What is it that these Guardians of the Veil do anyway?"

"The main question of the hour." Melissa glanced up at Will when she answered, "Overall, maintaining peace in the different dimensions and worlds."

"Overall, maintaining peace in the different dimensions and worlds. So law enforcement and special operations." The room was once again quiet. That news was burning into their minds. Will decided to pass the time by rocking on her feet in a childish sort of manner.

"YOU'RE FIGHTING CRIME?!" They finally yelled.

Melissa jumped and was about to respond before Keitlyn jumped up with Samuel. She grabbed Melissa's hands and gazed down into her eyes with worry. "Sweetheart, I don't want you fighting... Whatever that was, what was that? That happened recently? I know you know. So start talking... Please."

Melissa gazed between her parents and watched Will nod towards them in the corner of her eye. They deserved to know the truth. Melissa sighed and looked back into her parents' eyes. Then whispered, "It was... Will. Yes, from across the street. My girlfriend. We weren't around during the time, but the Guardians were going through a bit of drama. Will has Bipolar Depression and it made her really upset when their powers switched because of a prophecy. Long story short, Will got angry and tried to force the Guardians to give her the Heart of Kandrakar. The key to our powers and other things. Remember that night? First day of school, that lightning bolt that froze in the air?"

Samuel shrugged and answered, "I wasn't awake, but I saw it on the news the next morning. It froze or something and the big wigs were confused?"

Melissa nodded and answered, "That was the Guardians. They were all fighting."

Keitlyn and Samuel looked at each other in clear concern. Then back to Melissa. Keitlyn asked, "What happened?"

"Well... Will was hit with-"

"I was hit with a lightning bolt." Keitlyn and Samuel whipped around towards the voice of Will Vandom. She was standing right behind the couch invisible and chose this time to make an entrance. But a sorrowful one, based off her one eyed expression.

She crossed her arms, directing their eyes to the Remnants and their glowing opals, adding, "Not the one I froze, but one that Hay-Lin threw. Taking me out. I had come to the conclusion that... I could use the Heart to make myself better and prove myself. They didn't give it to me. So out of desperation I attacked them. And it bit back..." Will pushed her hair out of the way, exposing the burn. "Hard."

Keitlyn gasped and walked around the couch with her eyes on Will. Once she reached her, she lightly grabbed her cheeks and looked closer. "Oh baby, that is bad."

Will politely moved her hands and said, "Yeah, I know. I got used to seeing out of one eye."

"I always wondered how you could see correctly with all this hair. "

"Not too hard. I can't see anything on this side, so I'm used to it. After they hit me, they knocked me out, took me to Kandrakar and... Erased my memory and reinstated my Guardianship. Then left me beside a burning warehouse where I assume the lightning I manipulated had struck, thus creating the alibi—"

"That you were beside a burning warehouse," Melissa guessed. She took a seat on the couch facing Will with sadness. "I never heard about this. Why didn't you tell me?"

Will tightened her lips and answered, "Well I was plotting my revenge. After you gave me the Remnant of Quintessence we found on the beach, I remembered everything. And I became upset." She pointed up to her neck and stated, "They give me all of my power. And make me stronger than the Guardians. Much stronger. I decided to send a message by attacking Meridian and leaving nothing but destruction. And I made their Queen watch as I destroyed it."

Keitlyn could only cross her arms and ask, "Are they okay now?"

Will sat down on the air she solidified and nodded. "Yeah, they're fine."

"Then you just owe the Queen."

"I know. And I start this morning. Anyway, I learned there were more remnants but I didn't know anything about them. So I went to Kandrakar, attacked them, then stole a book on them. Long story short, once I had all the remnants, I came back here with an intent to be on the top of TechCom and destroy the veil. Once it was, all the dimensions would collide with each other. Taking everyone out with it."

Keitlyn whispered, "...you were going to kill us?"

Will gulped and nodded. Then smirked and said, "But then Melissa just had to fly up there and start talking sweet words again. If she didn't, everyone would be dead right now." Melissa blushed and looked away at Will's praise. "Then the FBI showed up, tracked us down, and started interrogating us. Once they found us, I realized it wasn't safe for us here. Not as long as they knew us. So I motioned that if things did get dangerous, we'd actually run away. And... It did."

Will stood up and walked around for Melissa's right side. "Did I ever tell you what I found in that folder?"

Melissa blinked up at her and asked, "What folder?"

"The one I snatched from the FBI."

"You snatched a folder?"

Will sat down next to her and sighed while Keitlyn and Samuel watched them from behind. "Well turns out the Guardians from many years ago were in a similar position. Officers tended to shoot first, ask questions later a lot back them. And actually killed the Guardian of Fire. Then the others were arrested and never heard from again. They were handed over to something called the miracle project. With... Guys in lab coats. Himerish has the folder."

Melissa had her mouth open and eyes wide at Will. "...they..."

Will nodded and said, "They possibly experimented, and interrogated the Guardians. And it was about to happen again. Because of my mistake. Now it's no longer safe for us here."

Melissa shared a look of horror with her parents. People like them... Were experimented on?! Melissa looked back to Will with determination and shook her head. "Well I'm not abandoning this because the U.S. gets dirty when they find out. Let's talk about something else."

Will thought that was a good idea too. It was getting darker than it already was in here. "We can't stay here," she stated. "It's too dangerous for us now. If we're discovered, we'll be apprehended by force and taken to this Miracle Project. Because basic cells won't cut it for someone who can burn past steel. We're moving permanently off Earth."

Keitlyn shook her head and stammered, "I... Girls, isn't there some way to bargain with them?"

"You can't bargain with someone who wants to experiment on you because you have powers. They'll just try and take it." Will stood up and offered Melissa her hand. Their time was nearing. "And we can't stay here long."

Keitlyn sighed and looked to the window. The sun was beginning to come up, turning the sky from a really dark blue to a nearing purple. Samuel asked, "When can you return?"

Melissa shrugged and stated, "When the world flips again from magic-wielding psychos. If we're called in. Other reasons. Either way, we can't stay here anymore. It's too dangerous for us, and you."

Keitlyn sighed and cast her downcast eyes to the floor. She didn't want her going. She didn't want her only daughter leaving her. "Keitlyn?" She looked back up into Will's face of determination. "You have my word and promise that I will always be next to Melissa to protect, love, and be there for her. I will never leave her side."

Keitlyn and Samuel smiled at Will's statement. That voice calmed their worries just like it calmed their hearts. Melissa was more forward. She wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed Will on the lips, forever locking her in that promise. Keitlyn sighed in envy and said, "You remind me of myself and your father. Will?" Will let Melissa go and focused on Keitlyn when she approached with nervous twiddling fingers. She didn't want to talk about something. Which could only mean one thing...

"So I know you two are on tough terms..."

Will shook her head and immediately answered, "No. I'm sorry Keitlyn, but I can't talk to Susan." It stung Keitlyn a little when she said that. Didn't even call her mom. Will added, "She said what she had to say in that room. She disowned me and kicked me out of her life in favor of her family. I was her family before they were."

Keitlyn softly placed a hand on Will's face and stroked her thumb across the burn with loving brown eyes looking into hers. "Will, your mother—"

"Susan."

"Susan has been miserable ever since you all disappeared. She's driving around crying looking for you guys. She wants to apologize, to make things up with her daughter."

Will closed her eyes and slowly pushed Keitlyn's arm away from her face. Of course she'd want to. Will stated, "Keitlyn, she wants to make herself feel better. Those words she said to me, those slaps she delivered... She called me a Tyrant with no full reason as to why. All she knows is that my depression flared up and I took it out on everyone.

"The basic idea? I got mad that I was bumped down and tried to hurt everyone because of it. That is all she knows. You guys know way more and actually listened while she jumped over that and slapped the heck out of me. Yes I was mad that I was bumped down. But it goes way deeper. I was mad that I was bumped down, got burned from a lightning bolt, then got my memories stolen with no intent of returning. I was modified with no say so for my future. And they wanted me to live my life like that.

"Susan doesn't even know about that. She called me a Tyrant and kicked me out after I admitted to damaging the city. She didn't even try when I needed her the most. She left me. She listened to the FBI and left me. And I'm sure she's been holding that in for years. So no, I'm not going over there and talking to her. I'm going back behind the veil, my new home. And she'll never see me again. And if she does see me again, it's going to be raining a choice of words. That's final. I don't care how sad she gets."

Keitlyn sighed and relented with a nod and a quiet, "Okay."

Will slowly wrapped her arms around her and whispered, "You guys have always been kind to me. Thank you. I know I messed up, but..."

"You don't have to say anything." Samuel wrapped her in a hug from behind. "As long as you watch over my daughter. Don't you dare leave her out of your sight, she can break things."

"Daddy!" Samuel reached out and pulled Melissa in while she grumbled. Why did he have to say that?

Keitlyn sniffled her tears away and pulled out of the hug, leaving her hands on Will's shoulders. "So no visits?"

Melissa broke out of her dad's grip and answered, "Maybe. We'll see. We're going to be really busy stopping crime. So I hear. There may not be time. But we'll try."

Keitlyn nodded at her then mouthed a silent okay. Melissa could tell she was about to cry. So she walked across the floor and pulled her in. Keitlyn buried her face in her neck and whispered, "I'm going to miss you too, sweetie."

After Samuel joined, Star moved to the side and just watched. At least Melissa was getting closure. Past them her eyes eyed the light turning on at the house across the street in the kitchen. Either it was Dean or someone she'd rather not mention. It was more than likely the latter. Dean was a heavy sleeper.

Her sight focused once more on the family when they parted and just stared at each other. Then Melissa rubbed her thumb across her mother's hand and let them go. Seeing this as her time, Will turned around and sliced open a rift, making Keitlyn and Samuel jump out of surprise more than fear. Melissa smiled and waved at them with a, "This won't be the last time we see each other. I promise."

Samuel placed his hands on Keitlyn's shoulders and replied, "We'll have it no other way. We love you sweetheart." He blew a kiss her way that she caught before turning and walking through the rift with a slight ripple. Leaving Earth.

Will glanced to her right at it for a moment. Then whispered, "I'll watch over her for you. She's not leaving my sight too much."

Keitlyn smiled and said, "I bet. I'm pretty sure you two already had sex, so I'm not worried about that. Just make sure you're safe too." Will graced her with a promising smile. Then turned around about to make her way back home. "And Will... Do you at least want to leave a message?"

Will sighed through her nose. But came to terms that it wouldn't be a bad idea. She knew for a fact that Keitlyn would tell Susan about their little nightly visit. Will looked over her shoulder and answered, "Just break down what I told you into your own way. That's my message. I want nothing else to do with her. Thank you." Then turned back and walked through the veil before the rift closed, sealing the deal once again for them.

Keitlyn and Samuel only stared in silence. They just witnessed their daughter leave their lives. And there was no telling when she would come back into it. At least Will was with her. Keitlyn wasn't sure, but she was absolutely positive she could trust Will to watch over her for them. That look in her eyes said it all. And this Guardian business was definitely going to make things better for them... Hopefully. She wasn't too comfortable about them going back to fighting evil and all of this fantasy-in-real-life stuff. But she apparently had no say so. All she could do was hope that she would be safe and no bad news would come their way. This was Melissa's life, not theirs.

A light that wasn't the lamp in the left corner of her sight made Keitlyn turn her head that way. Samuel followed her sight and looked through the small windows. Spotting exactly what Will had before. The light on in the kitchen in the Vandom residence. Keitlyn sighed and said, "It's Susan. She hasn't been sleeping well at night."

Samuel let her shoulders go and walked closer to the window to get a much closer look. He couldn't see in the house, but no other light was on. He didn't know much about Dean, but Susan was another story. With his eyes still on the house, he asked, "Are you going to tell her?"

Keitlyn walked across solid wooden floors with bare feet to the lamp. Then reached underneath to switch it off. "Yeah," she whispered. "I'll do it when they all wake up. Susan doesn't need to be sleepy when I tell her. She's already not doing so well. I think she even stopped eating, she's lookin' a little thin."

Samuel nodded and walked back to and up the staircase for the bedrooms with his wife. Even though their daughter and girlfriend made a little visit, that didn't mean work was canceled. They all had to go back tomorrow. Vandom and Cordeau.

On the way, they passed by Melissa's room and stopped to stare inside for a moment. Her bed was perfectly made, and room immaculate save for a few things lying around. Including the stuffed frog Will had given to her months ago. Keitlyn smiled a little then reached in to grab the door. It lightly closed until they heard it click. Melissa would hate it if someone was in her room and she wasn't home.

~TLO~

When Star rifted them out, it wasn't back to their room like when they left. She rifted them over to the hillside. A large hill overlooking Meridian below them. It was a very common hangout spot for the Guardians when they used to come here in the past. With the city behind them, they would all just relax on the hill and watch the sun rise from here. Over grassy plains.

There was a smaller village on the other side of it that made it even more beautiful to spectate. Lying on your back and feeling the heat of the sun warm your face as it rose was one of the best things about being a Guardian. Not to mention a tree was nearby for hyperactive Irma to sit in.

After Melissa stepped out, she walked down the hill a little and took a seat with her knees pulled up to her chest. Watching the sky turn from purple to blue. It was a really beautiful sight. Without turning around, she declared, "We should come here more often."

"Except in the winter." Star stepped into her sight and sat down in front of her. Then leaned back and placed her head in between Melissa's legs. With her eyes on the horizon, she stated, "It gets really cold up here. The Castle's much warmer, believe it or not. For it to be made out of stone."

Melissa smirked and asked, "Maybe it's all the torches?"

"Maybe. So... I have to teach the rugrat this morning."

Melissa slowly shook her head and looked down to her slightly amused if that smirk was anything to go by. "Who said you have to teach her?"

"Well..." Star shrugged and answered, "Elyon said we could learn from each other."

"Right. She didn't say bring out a desk and bore everyone with lectures, redhead. If she wants you to hang out with her, then just work in a few things. But she's still a kid. So be a kid."

Star sighed and watched the sun peek over the horizon, urging on another day. But she did put those words to her thoughts. "Hey." They both looked up into the faces of the other Guardians, Queen Elyon and her charge, Caleb, pretty much everyone from the very beginning except those from Kandrakar's fortress staring down at them. They more than likely walked over since Melissa didn't transform. How they walked up without a word was something Star didn't understand. But yet she did. They've been learned the art of stealth.

Melissa smirked and whispered, "Hey."

Taranee broke from the line and took a seat next to Melissa while the others gathered around. Elyon sat down with little Sarah on her lap and Caleb on her left, flanked close by her boyfriend. "How'd it go?" She asked.

Melissa eyed the horizon and answered, "A lot of tears. I told them as much as I could remember. Including Star turning evil. "

Cornelia seethed in like Taranee and asked, "Oooh, how'd that go? It couldn't have gone well."

Star smirked from between Melissa's legs and stated, "Actually it went really well. They were totally lax about it. They just listened first to my side. Unlike some people."

Sarah didn't know what that meant, but she just listened to Queen Elyon when she asked, "So... Did you see her?"

Star shook her head and answered, "No, but she was up. The kitchen light was on. And I honestly don't want to see her again. We're both better off without each other. If I had known I was just being a burden all this time, I would have ran away sooner."

Sarah wasn't sure, but it sounded like Starfire was having family issues. "Umm... M-Ms. Starfire?" All eyes shifted to the only child there with the purple skin and large ears. Eyes on Star, she pointed to Elyon and said, "Queen Elyon always tells me that even if you fight each other, family is worth fighting for."

Star smiled at her then sighed. "Yeah that's true, rugrat. But she said it herself. I'm not family."

From behind, Elyon smiled and said, "You have a lot to learn, Star."

"Elyon..."

"Like learning how to control your anger, and learning the basics of your missions."

Missions? Before Will could ask, a very thick white scroll was dropped onto her head, which rolled off onto her lap. Hay-Lin's smile poked into her peripheral vision while she picked up the behemoth of a report and stated, "Kandrakar's been holding out on us. Turns out douches big and small want to be like Daddy Phobos and Mama 'Rissa."

Star shivered at those terrible names and handed it up to Melissa to look at. A bit of shuffling behind her head later and she said, "First up? Psycho Bitch on Hootakah with a legion of magical females who play with fire while Psycho Bitch tries to create bridges through the dimensions without authorization."

Psycho Bitch. Sitting up and whirling around, Star grinned and asked, "Is her name really Psycho Bitch?"

Cornelia happily grabbed the scroll out of Melissa's hands and answered, "It is now. We'll label her. We're going to have some fun each day, girls." She whirled the scroll around and gazed like it was a lost museum artifact. "There has to be hundreds in here."

Star rolled her eyes and lied back down into Melissa's legs. "Yeah. But first? Let's enjoy each other's presence in peace as a family first before we go and kick butt, alright? That goes for Caleb, Accent, and Rugrat too. You're alright, kid." Elyon smiled and pulled Sarah closer in with her and Glint. At least she was accepting of her. And Sarah's smile let her know the feeling was returned.

While Cornelia was getting comfortable to watch the sun rise, Caleb decided to lie down next to her and fold his hands behind his head. "Hey."

She glanced his way nonchalantly then back to the sunset. "Don't even think about it. Especially not after how you talked to Star."

Caleb sighed and rolled his eyes while Hay-Lin giggled in the corner with Taranee. But all eyes were trained on the rising sun. All minds trained on thoughts of their rising future. Today was a new day. A start to a new life on a world that was not some of their own. Interloping in the business of people who had bad intentions were the jobs of the Guardians. Who'd have it any other way?

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

The next chapter is going to focus more on future conflicts and give you a clue into Act 2. You'll enjoy it, I promise. The final intermission.


	32. Final Goodbyes

**Final Goodbyes**

When the sun rose on Meridian, the same happened on the planes of the other dimensions. Heatherfield was basked in the sun's glorious rays of light, providing a warm blanket of air that pushed aside any semblance of the cool night before. The streets were beginning to be clogged with the signs of working citizens. Cars, birds, voices, and wind were the sounds of nature. Another day, another life.

Another struggle to find the strength to get out of bed for Susan. Dean had already woken up and tended to William who probably went back to sleep. No other noise was present at the moment. Dean already left for Sheffield, leaving the house to her.

Susan was splayed out on their shared bed on the comforter by her stomach spread eagle. Wearing a white tee and baby blue pajamas. Eyes on the open door across. And the bedroom beyond it. It was so... Quiet. Silent.

Scary. Susan's breathing slowed in the peace she didn't want. She blinked at the doorway then closed her tired eyes for a little more sleep. She couldn't sleep last night. Or this morning.

But it was interrupted when some loud knocking resonated around the house. Susan groaned and cracked her tired eyes open once again. "Who is that this early?" She mumbled. Hoping that they'd get the message There was another knock, a little louder this time. "Dammit... Wait, it could be Will!"

It's like someone came in and hit Susan with a ray full of energy. She rolled out of bed and nearly hit the floor. But bolted out of the room with long blue hair behind her. She knew she looked bad and terrible. But she ran down those stairs, up to the door, and pulled it open for... Keitlyn.

She could obviously see the disappointment on Susan's face, forcing her to glance away akwardly. Susan only sighed and offered a faux smile to her. Keitlyn was already dressed and ready to go in a black sport's jacket, white button up and black jeans. "Good morning, Keitlyn."

"Good morning, Susan." She reached up and stroked her black hair. "So I need to... Speak with you for a moment. It won't take long."

Must it be so early? Susan sighed and stepped to the side to offer her neighbor in. Her black flats slapped onto the wooden floor with each step further. They soon became the only sound after Susan closed the door back and followed her into the sunny living room.

Once Keitlyn took a seat, Susan crossed her arms and asked, "So what is it?"

After Susan sat down beside her, Keitlyn took a deep breath and slid her hands across her jeans. This was a little awkward. But she went ahead and dived right in. "So this morning, me and Samuel heard our back door open at around four."

All bored thoughts left Susan's mind when she said that. Leaning forward, she quickly asked in clear worry, "Oh my god, w-was someone breaking in? Is Samuel alright?"

"Samuel's alright. And... Fifty-fifty." Susan's face told Keitlyn she was confused. "So yes, someone was breaking in. But not illegally since they... Lived... There."

Susan didn't get it for maybe half a second before she grabbed Keitlyn's hands. "Oh my God, Melissa came home?!" She yelled. "Is she okay, what happened?"

Keitlyn's raised her hand and lightly slapped Susan's. "Well... Not exactly. You see they only did a quick visit. They came to tell us... They weren't coming back anytime soon. Any of them."

"Weren't coming back? Where'd they go? And... You keep saying 'they.' Who else was there?" Keitlyn slowly sucked her lips in but kept her eyes on Susan. Hopefully she'd get the answer. She did.

Susan jumped up and yelled, "WILL WAS THERE?!" Keitlyn's stood up too and grabbed her right hand. "WHY didn't you tell me?! Wake me up?! Or—" A bunch of crying upstairs ceased the conversation for a moment and urged Susan to make her way up to William. And leaving Keitlyn downstairs awkwardly.

Susan came back down the stairs with William in her hold, holding him to her chest. Once she sat down she asked, "Why was she there, why didn't she come over here?"

Because you slapped her, called her a tyrant, and disowned her in front of her friends and their families. Keitlyn reached out and patted her leg. "She said she didn't want to see you. And wanted me to deliver a message for her after I pleaded her to at least do that."

Ignoring William's hand on her face, Susan asked, "What was the message?"

Keitlyn took a deep breath and with a shake of her head answered, "She said... She is never coming back. I had to write this down." While Susan's heart slowed to a stop, Keitlyn reached into her right pocket and pulled out a dark green folded note. Eyes on it she read, "She said that... Even though she made a mistake, you didn't listen to her side. You heard a word from the FBI and slapped, scolded, and disowned her without further investigation. She was hurt. And what you yelled to her made her believe... That you've been holding all that in since Fadden Hills years ago."

Susan desperately shook her head and stated, "No! No, that... That..."

"She also told me the entire story. She did in fact get mad. But it wasn't because of jealousy. That burn on her face? It was from a fight between her and the other girls months before this. There was something that made their powers switch, and it made her angry. So they had a fight and lightning was thrown at her face. Then they erased her memory and set her in front of a burning warehouse, where you found her. With no intent of returning them. They kicked her out of the Guardians. And she wanted to get them back for it.

"And she almost did. The day that she attacked Heatherfield was the final attack. And she would have won if Melissa didn't fly up there and stopped her. It was a huge drama that spun out of control. But either way Susan... She's never coming back. I told her that you wanted to make things up with her, but she said you would want to make yourself feel better. Not her. And in her defense... You did slap her, call her a tyrant, and then disowned her."

Susan desperately stammered, "I made a mistake, I made a t-terrible mistake, I get it! I know I messed up, I know I did. But that doesn't mean I don't love her! I can make this up!"

Keitlyn took a deep breath and said, "She said the same thing. She knows she made a mistake and already made a plan to make it right." Keitlyn scooted closer and rubbed Susan's shoulder whole looking into her sad scared eyes. Shivering like a cold puppy. "They just don't involve you. I'm sorry, Susan. None of them are coming back. Maybe visits, but... Will said her new home is behind the veil. She's never coming back."

It's like Susan's heart shattered. She didn't even say anything. Was it really that bad? Did she really push Will away that much that she was willing to live somewhere that only she knew about? And that only she could get to? This was terrible. This was awful. This was...

All her fault. Susan's face scrunched up before her eyes started leaking tears, crying for her daughter with her son in her arms. "...I messed up," she whimpered.

Keitlyn sighed and wrapped her arms around Susan. So she could bawl right into her jacket. Keitlyn admitted she too was sad. But she also knew Melissa was in good hands. Will was a pretty strong girl. Melissa was too. Both of them together were a powerhouse.

After an unbelievable five minutes, Susan's bawling turned into small sniffles. Looks like she was letting some out. Keitlyn whispered, "Hey, I'm sure you'll see her again someday."

Susan sniffled and pulled back. "Maybe, but... She's not here now. I want my baby home soon. Not someday."

Keitlyn sighed and whispered, "I'm sorry, Susan. But I don't know what to say. Will told us last night she wasn't coming back. So until you accept that, you will continue to struggle with that loss for days, weeks, months, maybe even years. I understand what it's like. When Will would come over I would witness my little girl's eyes sparkle. I'm sure the affect was the same for you and Will."

Susan sniffled and nodded. Then paid attention down to William in her arms. Innocently playing with his feet, trying to pull them up to his mouth in little blue pajamas. Eyes on him, Susan replied, "Will would giggle like a little girl whenever Melissa called, let alone come over."

"I know. I'd hear it in my own room through the phone Melissa had in the room next to ours. I know you miss her. I know I'm going to miss them both. But I'm content knowing they're together, wherever they are. All six of them. They made their own little crime fighting family with love. And they'll always look out for each other. Always. They're safe and in good hands. It's time to let our little girls go. It's time to let them fly."

Susan sighed deeply through her nose. Then shifted her sights from Keitlyn to the picture facing them on the table in the middle of the living room nearby. It was an updated photo of their family maybe a year ago. Will was standing on the far right next to Susan, with Dean in front of her. Both of them were holding William in both hands for the camera.

Susan knew what she had to do. She whispered, "I have to let Little Wings fly." Then looked up to Keitlyn and said, "Thank you, Keitlyn. I'd like to be alone right now."

Keitlyn smiled and stood up with moves for the door. She called over her shoulder, "Will I see you at work later?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I'll be there."

"Alright." Soon after, the door shut. Basking Susan's reality once more in sadness. But not so much as before. Susan just stared at the front door with a blank face while William made babyish giggles. Thinking of the impending future.

One step at a time. Susan shifted her body and placed William on the couch. Then replaced his previous position with the picture of their family from earlier. After a bit of tinkering and flipping of switches, she got the photo out and stared at it in her hands. Nostalgic.

This was their first photo of them as a family. All they needed was a puppy to turn into one of those TV families. Will had short hair and both eyes then. She was her little angel. The same angel she pushed away.

Sighing, Susan flipped the paper over and folded Will to the back. Then flipped it again and looked at the image. You couldn't even tell she was ever there. It was just Susan, Dean, and infant William. Will never existed. Was this a good idea?

The baby calling out on her right couldn't answer that question. But he was the reason for the decision. Susan set the photo down and placed William back into her hold. Of course things would never be the same without Will around.

If they made it difficult. Will was all over the place. Medicine cabinet full of behavioral medicine, healing creams, books on how to handle bipolar children, frogs, and of course pictures. Not to mention her room upstairs full of Wilhelmina memorabilia. All Susan had to do was get rid of all of that, and she'd get rid of Will. Thus getting rid of her mistake and be able to focus on her family. Or at least fade it out of sight and she becomes a distant memory.

Susan kissed William on the forehead and whispered, "I will never make this mistake ever again. I'm not going to lose you too. Okay?" William cheered and placed his hands on Susan's face, painting a smile on it. "Thank you, baby. Come on, let's get you ready for daycare."

Susan stood up and started making her way for the stairs with William on her hip. Leaving the broken down photograph of their family on the table. Literally leaving an important piece out, and facing down away from sight. Out of mind. The other photographs in the home will soon follow. As well as Will's room, and more locks. Susan was determined to never make this mistake again. No matter what it takes.

~TLO~

After Special Agent Sierra Donnel's folder was handed over, it was transported that same night back the way it came by the same person who requested it. Through Heatherfield. The highways were mostly clear, leaving him with way more than enough privacy to transfer fifteen million dollars into their bank accounts. For giving him photos, names, and leads. As well as small samples held in bags. All of which he needed.

The drive back home took little time. But that was time he used to think. The Guardians of the Veil. He's witnessed then grow stronger and stronger through the years. If you lived for nearly eight hundred, you could see this for yourself. The Guardians were trained to be stronger. More powerful than anything. With the Elements of Nature at their disposal, they were unstoppable. Or so they thought.

This Vandom kid was extremely smart. She had the right idea. Grab Kandrakar right where it hurts and use it against them. The Veil. Kandrakar controlled it with the Aurameres. But they didn't realize each time they used the Aurameres they'd leave behind a small trace of power. Of energy. And he has been collecting that energy.

And thanks to Wilhelmina Vandom, he now had way more than he needed.

By the time he made it back to his home, an estate located near the beaches of Heatherfield with way more land than he actually needed. He was way more than excited. He drove his truck through the automated gates and up to the marble steps leading up to glass-wooden doors of his estate. The place he called home. A literal beacon of light in the darkness.

He parked the truck, grabbed the folder, and hopped out in excitement for the door. He had some energy to extract. And he didn't want to waste any time. His time was near. And he was ready.

~TLO~

The Guardians decided to train while Star "hung out" with Sarah on that hill. It was apparently a really popular attraction to everyone considering people kept coming up there. Then ran away once the recognized Star. They ended up conversing about all types of things.

Activities, arts, and food. They had very different views in food though. Especially since Sarah didn't know what a Taco, Burrito, or Pizza was. And Star in turn didn't know Mookachi was. Or any other "strange sounding Vegetables." Even Meridians had weird vegans. Star loved them regardless.

After lunch, it surprised Star that Sarah wanted to spend more time together. More time together. So while they made their way back to the castle by walking through the nosey and suspicious eyes of the citizens, Star took this opportunity to ask. Being much smaller that Star, Sarah had to take much faster steps to keep up with her. When they passed the square, Sarah looked up to her and said, "Your hair is really red. And long. Why?"

Star sighed and stroked the side covering her burn in nostalgia. Her eyes trained on the castle and the girl living in it. Just feeling that scar brought back awful memories. But good ones too. Coming up with an answer she turned to Sarah. "I inherited the color from my father. And the reason it's so long is because I... I keep my dirty side covered, and the clean side in view so people know the real Star. A fresh start so people don't see the old me."

Sarah fawned and nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." Then the rest of the trip back to the castle remained in silence for a while. One thinking of another, and another thinking of one. When they reached the cobble road leading up to it, Sarah looked back up to Star and asked, "Can you promise me something? I know we just met and we're not... Like besties like Queen Elyon and Guardian Cornelia..."

When they passed the Guards for the doors they pushed open, Star answered, "Depends on what it is."

They walked into the front square of the castle, flanked close by flowers going through a watering by Irma up ahead, and the rest of their little group. Including Glint on the back of a horse conversing with Queen Elyon beside him speaking. Sarah requested, "Promise me you won't hide too much."

Star stopped walking and turned to face the little brown girl next to her with the glowing ears and eyes. And purple hair. What was she called again? Star couldn't remember. "Not hide too much?" She repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Don't change too much. Sometimes, being ourselves brings the best in us. So always be true to yourself. Don't forget who you were before, because it helps you realize what you can do differently."

Some wise words from the rugrat. Star smirked then reached out and ruffled her purple hair annoyingly. "You're alright, Rugrat. But don't you change either. Last time I checked we were on tough terms?"

Rugrat crossed her arms and smirked back up to her. "I know. I want you to teach me all those moves you know. I saw you training yesterday morning. I want to be a soldier. And you're going to teach me."

And after that, Star rolled her eyes and continued walking to the group waiting for them, ignoring Rugrat's calls to wait and listen. Looks like she's the Queen now. Yeah, right. Star smiled to Elyon with a thumb over her shoulder and asked, "Is she always so demanding?"

With her hand in Glint's, Elyon shrugged and answered, "Somewhat. Living with the Queen spoils her a little. Glint's about to head out. And you have to escort him. You need a weapon?"

Before Star could answer, a vertical steel staff was thrust into her line of sight from the right. Star followed the familiar arm up to Melissa's smiling face, trained on her own. She had put her black hair into a small ponytail. Or maybe Cornelia did. Either way, it looked.. Alright on her. Star grasped the staff while Melissa explained. "You never know when you'll need one."

Star smiled and looked at it in her hands. It was pretty long, but not too long where she couldn't maneuver correctly. Perfect. Just like the girl who gave it to her. Star glanced back up and whispered, "Thanks, Double Dees."

"You're welcome, Bitty Bees. I know my girl."

"Yeah, you do." Star quickly pecked her on the lips and moved for the only horse unoccupied next to Glint's left. While she floated on top, she asked, "Where we headed, Accent?"

Glint raised his eyebrow and repeated, "Accent?"

Star grabbed the reins and flipped her long red hair out of the way for moment. "Yeah. Because you have a very thick accent." The other girls burst into giggles and fits except innocent little Sarah. What was an Accent? Were they talking about, his voice?

Getting the jab, Elyon blushed and slapped Star's leg. "Stop teasing my boyfriend. You're heading towards the North. I assume it won't take you too long to get back?"

Star looked down to Elyon and deadpanned, "Elyon, I can rift and create a portal at my own free will. The second he is dropped off and safe, I will be back here. Because Melissa is here."

"Cute." Elyon smiled up to Glint while Star grumbled something. "Listen to what she says. She knows defense better than anyone else here apart from Caleb. Okay?"

Glint silently chuckled and repeated, "Of course, my Queen. Until we meet again." Glint leaned down and shared a lasting kiss with Queen Elyon, leaving an impression on the Guardians.

"Whooo, go Accent!"

Glint and Elyon separated and glanced over at Hay-Lin and Irma cheering and making weird sounds at the two of them. Elyon just rolled her eyes and stepped back. "Be safe."

"I will." Glint turned to Star who took this moment to put her own hair into a ponytail. Just so she could see and feel the air better. Glint got a full show to her burn, something Star grinned at.

"You like it? Got it from betrayal. Where we headed?"

"Er... N-North. Follow me. Hee-yah!" He snapped the reins and made his horse gallop away for the open gates. Soon followed by Star after she finally made her own horse move. Two stallions pushing aside the air and trotting across the drawbridge back into the town below. They continued straight for a moment, then turned right for a road leading out of the town between two buildings that held homes. Galloping for the grassy plains. Beginning a new journey in life. Literally.

Back at the castle, the Guardians watched them leave from the defensive wall. Leaving only a small trail of dust behind them. Melissa smiled from the far right of them and pinged, _"You'd better come back when it's over. No playing around, okay?"_

Star smiled and replied, "I'll follow the stars back to my love. I'll come right back. I promise. While I do this, you girls need to start planning who to take down first."

 _"We already do, remember? Psycho Bitch? Last we heard, she's located in some very small warehouse near the south side of Chicago... On Hootakah."_

"Interesting. Keep me updated, lover."

 _"I will. Don't do anything rash. And don't hurt the package."_

"I won't. I promise." And with that, Star cut the connection and focused her mind on the present. Following Accent into those deep and dark scary woods up ahead. If there was something there, she was going to rip it to shreds. First mission of their new lives. Leading up to more than a hundred.

Let the story begin.


	33. Clear Skies

**Clear Skies**

A late night storm is exactly what Merina needed. After a dry two weeks, the sky finally cried and poured her tears onto the hot stone world of Merina. Home to January, Defender of Merina. All buildings were made out of stone. But their technology were complex up to supercomputer status.

All citizens were inside peeking through windows and watching the night rain fall. The light shon down from street lamps and reflected off stone surfaces. All was peaceful. Was.

A figure wearing light blue skin tight clothes desperately ran out of a dark cobblestone alley between a restaurant and apartments. His form was silhouetted by the lights he ran in and out under the pouring rain. It was a male maybe in his mid-twenties booking it for wherever he was going. Frightened by those following after. Anxious and fearful feet patted through dense puddles on the ground, leaving ripples for a moment before another walked into one same puddle. And stopped.

A fully grown Irma Lair stared after him unamused with long brown curly hair reaching down to the small of her back. Sticking to her forehead from the falling rain. Her New Power purple half-opened skirt blew to the side with the wind, revealing more of her turquoise and purple leggings. Lightning flashed and brightened the blue symbol of water on her chest. The large wings on her back shaped similar to large palm leaves slowly lowered once she landed. She just sighed and shook her head while the guy tried to run away. She spoke in a more mature slightly deeper voice and muttered, "They never learn."

Then at the snap of a finger, her body morphed into water and fell into the puddle, adding to its volume.

The one running and panting like a mad man looked behind him in fear. No Guardian in sight. But he knew she was out there. They'd never just abandon a mission.

And she didn't.

Since he wasn't looking where he was going, the culprit ran straight into the hardest thing he's ever felt and fell on his back with a loud grunt. Then was immediately encased in a large bubble of water that kept him down and motionless. Irma smirked and crossed her arms down to him, letting the red glowing band on her right wrist dangle while she stared at the one guy attempting to break out by banging on the bubble.

"Stop trying, you look ridiculous," she ordered. Then raised her hand to create a light blue portal. Reaching down, she grabbed the edge of the balloon like a trash bag and pulled him through to the other side. Back onto Metamoor. When they first started catching the "Scroll Culprits," they were placing them in a prison located on Kandrakar.

That was fifteen years ago. Things were a lot more organized now. The Guardians even gave themselves rules.

It's been a long time since they left Earth. And none of them returned. Not one. Earth surprisingly didn't even have any problems with the veil, despite it being the center to all of the dimensions with the most crimes.

During the journey to the present, there was a bit of drama. Some disagreements, some let downs. But it came with no surprise that they came back together in the end. Thus creating their motto, "Never break, never part." Star's idea. Speaking of the Girls...

After enough missions and loyalty to each other, they all upgraded to New Power. Even Starfire surprisingly changed into a much scarier version of herself. Complete with the symbols of the elements on their clothes in Guardian form, and other parts of their bodies as humans. Star got all five on her naked right arm like tattoos. They didn't need to be on her clothes.

Melissa and Star were still going strong. Not to mention stronger. From High School sweethearts to married wives after three years. Melissa proposed to star on the same hill that they made their decision to never return to Earth, and live it out behind the veil. Their wedding was staged on Merina. And a bunch of pictures were taken by January. They never heard from Mariho ever again. Star had a feeling she was still slightly angry from that time she smashed her head with that brick.

They all lived in Meridian near the castle. They didn't need to stay there their whole lives, so they grabbed a few places nearby. But they were never alone. Growing up, they changed in height, but never in size. Still slim, toned, and ready to roll. They were more mature. More serious about the Guardian business. Especially since grabbing guys in water bubbles like Irma required tracking first.

This one didn't take too long. Four days later, and little "Jack in the Bubble" was being dragged across the hot and lonely desert ground up to the largest prison she'd ever seen. Star and Cornelia helped build it. Cornelia was the tallest in her Guardian form. Going at a six foot four. Starfire was second at six foot three.

Irma's purple shoes slapped hard against hot sunny sandstone under her as she moved for the steel gates. The two guards holding crossbows flanking them glanced at each other when she approached with that temptress look. That look she gets whenever she gets something new. "Hey, boys," she greeted. Then slid the bubble of water around into view for them to look at. "Got another toy for you to play with... Let me rephrase that. Got a guy for you to watch... Let me rephrase that."

The one on the right raised his hand and deeply groaned, "Just go, Water Guardian. GUARDIAN AT THE GATES!"

A horn blared from the other side three times while the bar therewas lifted. Then pushed in, keying Irma to move forward onto the empty grassy field with walkways of the prison itself. If any one of these inmates wanted to escape, they would have to fly. Because running across an empty field in a guarded prison is stupid. The Prison itself was a five level building as large as the castle miles away in Meridian. Huge. And complex.

The Guards at the steel doors went to work unlatching by the time she reached them. And closed them once she stepped inside onto cool flooring. Irma had to applaud Star and Cornelia on their work. Smooth stone floors, a check in desk with glass, lunch area, pretty much a rundown hotel for prisoners touched off with a library. Touche, girls. Touche.

Irma approached the Guard smirking at her behind a marble desk away by a few feet. There was only one reason the Water Guardian would be here. Avoiding eye contact once more, he set down his pen and asked, "Got another, I take it?"

Irma let the bubble go to jiggle around so she could fold her arms, lean in and whisper, "Of course, Goofy Guard. Why else?"

He sighed and shook his head. This was the fourth one today. Then stood up and yelled, "PRISONER PENDING!" Irma pursed her lips with the thought why Star and Cornelia couldn't place ways to communicate in here. It was always these guys yelling.

"Goofy" walked around the desk and stared down at the guy sulking in the bubble with mild amusement. "What did he do?"

Irma followed his gaze and answered, "Master thief on Merina. Stole thirteen priceless works of art that I stole back and returned from his little condominium. Then nabbed him while he was out in the rain looking for them. So thirteen counts of Heisting, thirteen counts of Larceny, and running away from a Guardian of the veil."

Goofy smirked at Irma while the Guards approached from hallways flanking her. He teased, "Is that a felony?"

Irma shook her head and snapped her fingers. The bubble of water popped down on him and the stone floor. While he was being placed in chains and sputtering from that little gift, Irma answered, "No. Not unless they actually manage to escape. Then when we do catch them, it becomes a charge. It makes things a little more fun. What's my score?"

While the Master Thief was being led away, Goofy teasingly walked behind his desk and answered, "Ohhh, I don't know."

"Goofy... Lay it on me straight."

He dropped down into his seat and replied, "You're trailing. Star is beating everyone. The Air Guardian has twenty three at second. Earth at twenty two, Keeper at twenty-two, Fire at Twenty, and you have fifteen."

Clearly afraid of the answered, Irma gulped and asked, "And... How much does Star have?"

~TLO~

Dew, moisture, darkness and howls. The overall experience of traveling through dark and scary woods. Stepping on leaves and ducking under low hanging branches to avoid hair snags. Last Star checked, her adult friend Sarah here had a problem with that.

Just like usual, she was sent out to escort Glint Artwire back to Northton. Star's right arm underneath her shoulder-less black top displayed all five elemental symbols in black outlined shapes. Transformed with larger wings and the staff held by her friend and student Sarah. She was hanging onto Star's shoulders from behind as they galloped through the woods.

Hair pulled back into a ponytail, Star's eyes-one of them-scanned the murky, dark, and wet environment of the Unmapped Wilderness with suspicion. Pretty much a large swamp that blocks out a majority of the sunlight and replaces it with green fog that goes for miles. It definitely messed up the trees.

Instead of going straight up like normal trees, they curled, zig zagged, and grew repulsive conscious plants. No wonder Glint was so fearful of coming through here every time he visited the soon-to-be fiancee. Right?

Super Fit Sarah was behind Star wearing a Meridian battlesuit. It held thick steel armor on all the important places and the crest of Elyon's deceased family on the front. Her glowing purple hair was a bun underneath her helmet. And her green eyes were just as cautious. Scanning every sound. "So Accent!" Sarah nearly fell off the horse they were riding at Star's call to the guy a little feet ahead. "When are you going to pop the question?"

Glint's sexy self looked over his shoulder smirking and stated, "I am preparing."

Sarah rolled her eyes and put her own two sense in from behind Star. "Oh come on! It's been fifteen years, I was a little kid when you and the Queen were dating!"

Star snorted and repeated, "Kid?! Oh no no no, you were an annoying little rugrat." After receiving a bop to the head, Star admitted, "She's right though. Jump this." After the two horses jumped over a deep dark chasm successfully, Star continued. "You guys have been dating nearly as long as Melissa and myself have been married. What's keeping you?"

Glint sighed and stroked the Goatee he was sporting, flexing his muscles. If Elyon hadn't gotten naughty with this guy by now, then Star was going to make her. He has grown a lot in all the right places. Better not waste him. Finally after a thought, Glint answered, "My family does not approve."

Star and Sarah held their breath. Hoping for him to say he was joking. When he didn't, Sarah said it for him. "You're joking. They don't approve of a Queen without a biological family?"

Glint shook his head and answered, "I am not. My parents, the new King and Queen believe that me dating a foreigner is an issue. And say that she is weak and would leave me at a moment's notice. They have never met her. These woods keep them from doing so. So they are using word of mouth and Star's rumored torment as a reason to keep us from marrying."

Ignoring that torment jab, Star scoffed and groaned, "Does Elyon know?"

"Yes. I told her many years ago."

Sarah started in surprise. "Really?" She asked. There's no way that would have gotten past her. Not like that. Elyon would be devastated at that news and she's never seen Elyon cry before.

They slowed to a casual walk since they were approaching the familiar protective barrier of Northton. "Yes. None of you were home. Nearly fourteen years ago. She was highly disappointed, as was I for seeing her that way. I offered if she wanted to elope, but she declined."

"Ooooh, you naughty boy," Sarah teased.

Star merely rolled her eyes and trained them once more on the brick wall they were approaching. And the Guards looking around hectically. They were watching everything. Star and Sarah shared a look. More like a short glance then slowed their horses at the gate. "What is wrong with your men?" Star asked.

Glint jumped off his horse and approached them. Star and Sarah chose to sit back and listen. These guys were mostly relaxed when they came. So what's the deal now?

Glint walked up to a random soldier and asked, "What has happened?"

The soldier saluted to him and answered, "The prison had a break out. Around thirteen are running around trying to escape the walls. They're trying to get over, sire."

"Oh, really?" Star grinned and approached them with Sarah and the horse. She stopped beside them and asked down to then, "Need some help?"

Before this Guard-more than likely the captain-could answer, Glint faced him and said, "Star can catch these guys. She's far more than capable."

"FREEZE!" All eyes faced the top of the wall when five men jumped off and into the mud below armed with crossbows. Then stood up aimed, and fired.

Star raised her hand and stopped the arrows from hitting the Guards. Then allowed them to drop to the ground. She fluttered off her horse and raised her hands, shouting, "Earth!"

The vines on the ground shortly came to life and shot out to the ankles of those running past, grabbing and tripping them before they could flee. Once they were caught, Star zipped down to the Guard's face of surprise and asked, "So... Need some help?"

W~I~T~C~H

When you run from law enforcement, you don't stop. Never. When the guards left a few gates open, they broke for it. Around thirty. Running amok through Northton's capital. People in the streets ran into homes, and shops in fear while they broke for the roads leading to different cities. Even pushed some Guards down in the process. They ducked arrows and grabbing their own weapons from the free sunny concrete streets.

A small group of them were running for the gates leading to the south. Grinning at each other. They were nearly there. So close. So...

A woman with deep red hair and a horse casually trotted out into the street and stopped. Holding a staff. Getting an idea, the leader ordered, "Hey, we need that horse, dollie!"

Dollie? Dollie?! Star grunted and slid off her horse. Then pulled her fist back and slammed it straight into his face when he was close enough and sent him flying back. He hit the gravel ground and rolled to a stop unconscious. His group stopped walking and stared down to him. Then back up Star. She reached up and tapped her pendant, changing into the tall Starfire. She raised her wings and lit her hands on fire. Glaring down to them from her six foot four with pure rage that would make a king wet himself. "Get back to your cells," she growled through grit teeth.

They immediately raised their hands and got down when a few of Northton's guards strode out of alleys with with cuffs. A little ways away, Sarah was trotting through on her horse with long bands in her hands. When she'd spot one, she'd throw two. One would wrap around their ankles and another around their body and arms that forced them to fall. This went on for a few minutes before Star jumped onto her horse passing by.

Wiping her forehead, Star breathed in the scent and looked around the city. She's actually never been here before. Her mission required her to drop off Accent at the gate then return. Never past. And that was cool because she liked Meridian too much. Well now she was riding behind her young friend on a horse about to nab this last guy running down a grassy hill into a park. Star rolled her eyes and jumped to follow after. Freezing him was easier. But way less fun.

"Dude, stop running," she ordered. "It's over."

He looked over his shoulder and yelled, "Never!"

Star just rolled her eyes and sprinted after him on long legs. Almost there. Almost-

She gasped when a blue portal opened in front of him and he tripped through, followed by her. The air here was much more... Polluted. Terrible. She rolled like a log into a bunch of sand next to her runner. She slid directly into it and got a mouthful of it. Then all was quiet for a moment. Water nearby made waves splash. Did a portal just open up? She didn't open a portal. Where'd it come from?

Star stood back up and looked around. A large beach. Sand, a few homes. A... Boardwalk. She knew that boardwalk anywhere. The boardwalk she and Melissa would play from and watch the sunset in the past when they were actual teenagers. Where they were seen by those sisters. It felt oddly good to be back here.

Heatherfield. It was empty right now that she could see. Good, she didn't need eyes. But why did that portal open? She didn't open it. And Hay-Lin definitely didn't. The only ones who can open a portal were those with the Artifacts such as the Heart of Kandrakar, the Remnants, and the Crown of Light. And a few more Star couldn't remember. None of them opened this portal.

Star pushed her eyes back down to the guy she had pinned to the ground with her foot. Time to get him back to jail. And tell the others about this. Someone was tinkering with the veil. Successfully.

~TLO~

When the sun rises, her heat warms the house. All houses. Specifically two across the street from each other. The light shone through the Vandom's double windows, their blinds and sheer white curtains. It reached the brown leather couches first. Then hit the dining table and the floor. Soon covering the decorative photographs of their family. William in between Susan and Dean on his first day of elementary school. Birthdays, soccer tryouts, embarrassing school plays. First dates, then prom in high school when he went out with his older girlfriend Lillian. According to him, he was the most handsome in the school.

With short brown hair, light blue eyes, a slim figure that adores soccer and a height of five foot eight. His words exactly? "I'm just singularly handsome."

Dean stated that it was just his ego.

Those thoughts flew from Susan's mind thanks to the familiar scent of sex under the comforter. William had went to a party last night with Chris Lair, and Lillian Hale. And more than likely came in late. That was one of those rare but highly needed moments they took adavantage of.

Susan's light blue eyes fluttered open and trained on the open door across from their room. And the closed door beyond it.

Will's room was permanently shut, locked, and forbidden from entry. William had asked about the room multiple times, but Susan would always order to never open that door. She knew telling him not to would make him want to even more. It was just a reaction in boys for some reason.

Susan groaned and slowly sat up out of Dean's grasp to look around their bedroom. The same as the last fifteen years. Nothing has changed here. A few things on the floor, same dressers. Same jobs. Thank goodness it was Saturday.

Susan grabbed a long white tee she threw off last night and put it over her head. Then slid her feet out of the bed onto the cool wooden floors of the bedroom. She sat there on the side of the bed for a moment. Thinking. Groceries today, maybe some cleaning. She needed to go see the Cordeaus today. Just to talk maybe.

At the same time Susan stood up, William's head peeked into the room. His voice was a lot deeper now. Not too much though since he was fifteen. "Mom."

Susan jumped almost twelve feet off the ground and focused back on the present. William was holding that nnocent grin on his face. His brown hair freshly cut and brushed. Brown eyes perfect. "I'm heading to the mall with Lillian today. She wants to go... Shopping, ugh."

Susan sighed and sat back down on the bed. Then smirked at William. "Girls like shopping," she stated. "So you're in for a treat. Come here."

William groaned and slipped into the room wearing his soccer uniform for Sheffield Institute. That name alone brought up bad memories. But Susan stuffed them down while he stopped in front of her. "What is it?" He asked.

Susan smiled and said, "I'm going to go see the Cordeaus. So what are the rules when we're not home?"

William rolled his eyes in slight annoyance and groaned, "Mom..."

"Come on."

"No girls in the bedroom, no drugs, no ordering pizza, no letting people in when you're not home, and don't ever ever ever go in that room." He pointed over his shoulder and asked, "Seriously, mom. What's the deal with that room? Like you never let me go near it."

Dean rolled over and mumbled into the sheets behind Susan, "Listen to your mother."

Susan smirked at William's upset face. He really hated being left out of the loop. She took his hand softly into her own and stroked her thumb across the top of it in empathy. "One day, I'll tell you, okay? Just stay out of it for now."

"Promise me," he countered. "Promise me you'll tell me."

"I promise, William. Now get out of here, Lillian likes shopping."

William slipped his hand out of Susan's then made his way out their room and down the stairs. Once the door shut, Dean sat up to face Susan's back with an expression glowing with uncertainty. He asked, "When exactly are you going to tell him? It's not everyday you spring that your son has a sister he doesn't remember about."

Susan sighed and stood back up to walk for the dresser by the door. She shook her head and answered, "I'll just..." She grabbed a small ornate jewelry box and flipped it open. A single key sat inside painted red. Sighing, she reached in plucked it out to hold up in front of her face. "Place this in his hand. Then everything else will follow after."

She heard Dean shuffle out of bed then slowly walk up to behind her. "Do you ever wonder... How she's doing?"

"Everyday." Susan dropped the key back into the box and closed it back. "But I know she's okay. Melissa's with her. Come on, let's get ready. I'm hungry."

~TLO~

Melissa's long pink sleeves blew with the wind. Brown eyes trained on the city of Meridian below these castle walls. Eating a single slice of bread in one hand and a monoscope in the other. Her wings touched the walkway behind her, avoided by the passing guards. Guardian'd up, she lifted the scope and eyed the portal Will and Sarah just zipped out of on horses in the busy shopping Square.

She never knew this, but Will was a sucker for horses. She even had her own held in the stables. Named Merci. Merci held no mercy. Even for Will's wife.

"Guardians, we have a really big problem," Star pinged. Uh oh.

Melissa removed the scope and placed it on the ledge she was sitting on. Then tilted her body forward and fell off to soar for the ground where Star and Sarah were approaching from. The drawbridge to the castle.

She landed at the same time Star and Sarah zipped past. Then flew in after them. Followed by Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay-Lin. Just like life intended, they all grew up. In Guardian form, they looked like Amazonian women. In regular form like how Star just changed into. Like regular grown women.

Star turned her horse to the left, leading to the stables with Sarah. Dark, hay, and smelly. But the horses didn't mind. Grinning, Star led her horse into his stall but kept her eye on Merci. A red mare with a lot of hair in the corner. She found her when she was just a filly. Her mother unfortunately died giving birth. A rare occurrence here according to some, but still possible. Ever since then, Star raised her as her own. "Hi, girl!" She greeted. "Hey, Merci!"

When Star trotted into the stall with the horse she borrowed next to Merci, she whinnied and stood up on two rear hooves in clear excitement. Melissa landed in front of Merci's stall and asked, "Star has mercy and you don't. Why?" Merci huffed a bunch of hot air in her face as a response. "You're jealous, I get it."

Star hopped off her horse and lined him up correctly. Playfully smoldering at Melissa she scolded, "Stop testing her. You know how riled up she can get. Hey there, girl~." Star closed her previous rider's stall and reached out to pet Merci's thick mane.

Irma nudged Hay-Lin and teased, "Two redheads, whatever shall we do?"

Ignoring their laughter, Star walked back to Melissa and wrapped her in a quick hug. "So we have a problem."

Hay-Lin strode and crossed her arms. Whenever Star said something like that, it was relatively serious compared to the guys they've been catching lately. "What's the issue?"

Star let Melissa go and walked her way with a serious glare in her eyes. "Portals. When Sarah and I got back to Northton with Glint, there was a massive prison break. So we decided to enjoy ourselves by catching them. I caught twenty, I get twenty points."

Cornelia leaned back and corrected, "Whoa. No. You have to catch the people on the scroll. We're nearing five hundred by the way. We're at four hundred ninety-eight."

Irma poked her and corrected, "Four hundred ninety nine. I just grabbed a guy this morning from Merina for that super thievery, remember?" Cornelia fawned and nodded her head at the reference to their earlier conversation.

Star waved her hand, nearly hitting Sarah when she walked over and replied, "Yeah, whatever. But look, a portal opened." That ended their conversations and brought them back to the present.

Hay-Lin's face of expectancy turned into seriousness. An open portal? She repeated, "A portal opened?"

Star nodded and swiveled back to walk to Merci. From a crate nearby, an apple levitated into her hand that she held up to her horse. While she started eating, Star clarified, "I was chasing this last guy just for fun and it just opened up. Blue, pulsing, the whole deal. We both fell through onto-get this-Heatherfield."

Hay-Lin shook her head and stated, "That's not good. That means that someone there is messing with the veil. On... Earth."

Star jiggled with the door and popped it open for Merci to walk out of. The second she did, she rubbed her head against Star's face, demanding petting. Star's melodic laugh that made Melissa melt rang loud and true. She coalesced, "Okay, okay!" Then got back to serious business while doing what Merci wanted. "It dropped me and him on the beach. Whoever is messing with the portal is located in Heatherfield. On Earth."

Taranee shook her beaded braids and said, "Let's talk to the Oracle about this first. I'm not sure if he'd want us to go back there."

Hay-Lin shrugged and walked forward to Merci. "It has been fifteen years. I'm actually a little curious to see what it looks like now and turned out." She reached up timidly and petted her mane with Star. "I'm sure all of you guys are too."

Taranee, Cornelia, and Irma couldn't deny that. It's been fifteen years since they've seen their family, it'd be nice to see how they all turned out with them "missing." Melissa too. But after that statement, they all turned to Star who was whistling and petting Merci.

The ones behind her all turned their sights to Melissa. They knew the routine. The good ol' wife who had the best of all connections with their little resident unstable fighter who had gold on her wrists and ankles shining like different colored stars.

Melissa knew those looks. They wanted her to start this off. Sighing inside her head, Melissa smiled at Star's back and asked, "Hey, sweet-"

Star whipped around and said, "Nope, not goin', final answer."

Melissa shrugged and repeated, "Final answer girls. She's not going."

Ten Minutes Later

After the Guardians told Star's discovery to the Counsel in Kandrakar, the Oracle nodded his head next to Queen Elyon and stated, "You all need to be there to find this enemy. You are not the only ones who have seen this. Reports came in from sources all over the veil of portals leading back to Heatherfield."

Star raised her pointer finger to Himerish and declared, "They can go, I'm not. I'm sitting this one out."

Adult Queen Elyon sighed and stroked her face while the others held their own forms of impatience. Even Himerish sighed soundlessly through his nose. One thing about Will that they could all agree on: She could definitely hold a grudge.

Himerish floated out of his seat and made his way over to Will. And this time, she actually let him apart from many years ago when she managed to cripple Kandrakar. "Will. Wilhelmina. I know Earth holds bad memories for you." He landed a few inches away from Star and peacefully grabbed her left hand. "But I'm sure-as well as everyone here-that it's time you buried this grudge between you and your mother."

Star blinked at him then slowly shook her head with sad eyes "Don't you remember, Himerish?" She whispered. "She disowned me. She's not my mother. I left Heatherfield for a better life for my friends, my family. For all of you. I'm sorry, but I can't go back there."

"...you're afraid to face her."

Star sputtered, "A-Am not."

Himerish smiled and let her hand go. "Yes you are. You're afraid to face your past and start again."

"I'm not afraid of my past, Himerish." Star turned around and sliced open a rift. Then whispered, "I'm not afraid of anything."

"Then why are you attempting to leave this conversation?"

Star stopped moving and slowly placed the foot she was about to push through the rift back onto the ground. Then looked over her shoulder and whispered, "I'm..." Star sighed and shut the rift. Then whipped around and admitted, "I just don't want to get anyone hurt again."

Melissa sighed and approached her once more to wrap an arm around her shoulders. If anyone could understand Star, it's the one girl who's never left her side. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

Star grabbed her other arm's elbow and answered, "What I mean is that the last time we were there we held a lot of drama. It grew so big, that a city was nearly destroyed. Let alone all the dimensions. Then the police got involved, the FBI, then our parents. All of your parents... They never said anything. The only one who actually did was mine and my mother disowned me. Then Melissa's when we went back for one last visit. She placed Melissa's safety in my hands. After that, none of us ever saw them again and vice versa." Star sighed and whispered, "I'm scared of what they'll do to you guys."

Irma snorted and repeated, "Scared for us? Star look at us, we're adults now. Not teenagers anymore. We're in or nearing our thirties. There's nothing anyone can do to us. They're not protecting us anymore. We're the ones protecting them, they have nothing to be scared off."

Cornelia grinned and wrapped an arm around Irma's shoulders with, "She's right. There's nothing that can be done to us now. Maybe when we were sixteen and seventeen. Even nineteen. But not anymore, we're full grown adults making our own decisions. Got our own lovebirds-well... You guys do." Taranee and Hay-Lin looked at each other while Melissa kissed Star's forehead. "We'll be fine. Don't worry about us."

Star had to admit, that did make her feel a little better about going back to that place they used to call home. And she was right. They were all older. Cornelia was taller than all of them with a full grown woman's body. Plus some muscle. Taranee looked like she could be a teacher without glasses. She learned how to see well without them maybe a year after they arrived on Meridian, blowing all of their expectations. Again.

Irma looked exactly like her mother. Curly brown hair and everything. Not an inch of her father in her. Hay-Lin... Taller and stronger. Both in knowledge and and physical attributes.

Melissa had actually cut her hair shorter to her head. She almost looked like a boy, but Will definitely knew she was a girl. A sexy fully grown woman. Those brown eyes were piercing straight into hers with that gleam in them. That lively gleam she'll never get enough of until those eyes closed permanently.

Then she herself had grown up too. After that Heatherfield fiasco, she decided to coach Hay-Lin on how to lead and be more assertive to make things happen. And she did well. Maybe a little too well because she was all serious now. No more playful teenager.

Star looked at herself then at everyone else smiling at her. They were just older. Nothing changed between them. They were all full grown and could handle their own problems now. Star sighed and shot her arms up. "Fine!" She yelled. Then grumbled, "I'll... Go to stupid Heatherfield. Let's just get this solved and get back to Meridian."

Hay-Lin nodded to her once while she walked back towards an empty space with Melissa. And then looked to Himerish. "We're going to prepare. What are we looking for?"

Elyon stood up and answered, "Portals and patterns. Someone there is opening portals. Your overall missions are to find and stop them from opening them, and learn their intentions. Because they obviously know about Kandrakar."

Star sighed and sliced open a rift. "Any theorized reasons?"

Elyon shook her head of blonde hair and answered, "None. Find the portals first, then learn who is opening them. Look for clues nearby."

Hay-Lin nodded then led the rest of the Guardians to the rift Star and Melissa jumped through. "And Hay-Lin?" Hay-Lin turned around to Elyon but kept walking backwards towards the rift. She whispered, "Watch her."

Hay-Lin nodded once then faced forward again. Soon disappearing through the rift and out of sight. Once it was closed, Elyon looked towards Himerish and asked, "Was this a good idea?"

He sighed and sat down in his seat to relax. Then whispered, "She will never be able to face all of her fears when she is afraid to return to her true home. I just gave her that push to do so. Looking out for the Guardians was an alibi, she is afraid to see what she left behind. And missed."


	34. A Small Breeze Of Change

**A Small Breeze Of Change**

Lillian Hale was five years older than William Vandom. But they both loved the same thing. Looking their best, staying clean, showing off their egos, and having fun. Lillian was a lot smaller than William. She was the height and looked like she was sixteen. But in reality was eighteen. William looked like he was seventeen. Puberty hit him hard.

But they also had their differences. For instance, Lillian loved going shopping. While the pair walked the mall's carpeted floors, Lillian adjusted her long flawless blonde hair into a single ponytail. Ignoring her boyfriend's complaints next to her. The mall was packed. Since it was a Saturday that was expected. Teenagers, kids, and adults came to indulge in their weekend see the future of technology down below on the bottom floor. Which is why William didn't want to come.

Any other day would have been fine, just not Saturday. Heck, even Sunday would be fine! Besides, it looked Like Lillian was great with the clothes she had on. Right now she was wearing a white short dress like she was going to prom with white stockings, and white flats. Topped off with a tiara. A bit much for the mall of all places, but they took the bus to the mall like that anyway. The taller soccer jock taking the shorter princess out. Then taking her back.

And Princess loved it. Sighing, Lillian playfully bumped William on the bus ride back and scolded, "Oh you'll be fine." Then took his hand into her own. "It was just shopping."

William directed his sights to all the clothes behind her on the next seat over. Then into her eyes and replied sarcastically. "Yeah and soccer is just a sport. Look at this outfit, I invested into this." He slid to the side and gestured to his soccer getup. "I am immaculate."

Lillian rolled her eyes in a playful manner and lightly patted his shoulder. "Well Mr. Immaculate. Maybe you can hold my clothes for me." Then waited for that to settle in. She could play William like a flute.

"Yeah, not happening."

Lillian closed her eyes and sighed peacefully with her head tilted back. "Yes, it is," she whispered.

"No it's not."

Ten minutes later, William was walking Lillian back up the sidewalk to their place with an annoyed look. His hands held six bags of fancy clothes while she was texting her friends next to him. William knew she was using him somehow in some kind of way, but they've also been dating for nearly a year. Had to mean something right? They were friends before they were dating so...

A quick smooch on his cheek made William feel much better and much prouder. "Thank you, star player," Lillian whispered.

William turned his head and smooched her back with a smile. "Anytime, my lady." And that's what made all this better. And worthwhile.

~TLO~

After Star sliced open a rift, she landed all of them back in her and Melissa's place. A small house near the castle that had a great backyard full of beautiful nature and a front yard of peace. Just like the other homes of Meridian, everything was sort of disgusting in comparison to Earth technology. Toilets weren't an exception either. But they were all used to that. There was a kitchen, a living room, and other things just like Earth. Just no electricity. Only the basic necessities of life that forced them to go outside and enjoy it.

While the Guardians looked around the home decorated with photos of the two of them—courtesy of Hootakah, Star walked over to a bookcase in the living room and grabbed a single red diary with a leather cover from the wooden table smack dab in the middle of the area. Hay-Lin eyed it in the corner of her eye from the door and queried, "What is that?"

Eyes on the book, Star took a deep breath and whispered, "This is my knowledge journal. After we left Earth and settled in Meridian, I made a guide on how to live with basic things. As well as tracking information."

Wait, then that means... Irma jabbed an accusing finger at her and yelled, "Ah ha! So you were cheating!"

Star smiled and shifted her body into Melissa's. "Irma, no one knows a villain like a villain. I tracked them down like how'd I track myself. I have the higher advantage here, I don't need my journal. Now let's move."

Taranee held up her hand and forced them to stop by yelling, "Wait, wait!" Then pointed it at Star's chest. "Where are we staying?"

"We'll figure it out once we're there. Okay? Like you guys said, it's been fifteen years. A lot of things change in one. I'm bringing this just in case." Star looked to Hay-Lin and asked, "You're the leader, so... I'm just standing by for assistance."

Hay-Lin nodded in confirmation and raised the Heart to create a portal in their living room. The air burst into a light blue pulsing circle, blowing back their hair with a small tinge of electricity. Just for safety, she also changed them all back to regular girls. Then walked through first.

Once they were out and they were alone in their home, Melissa turned to Star and stated, "You don't have to do this. I know how this makes you feel."

Leave it to Melissa to make Star feel better. Even in situations when she's definitely not going to. That's why she couldn't say no when she proposed. One day they'll have kids and...

Focus on the present. Star smiled and stroked Melissa's shaved head while locked in eye contact. She didn't like it when she shaved it off, but could understand that this is what she wanted. So she went with it. She pulled her forward and softly pecked her on the lips. "I'll be fine, sweetheart," she guaranteed. "I'm strong enough not to throw cars or cry. I'll be fine. And I know you'll be there with me."

"Damn right I am." Melissa pulled Will into a much more forceful kiss that had her place her hands on Melissa's chest for a moment. The same kiss that brought them together. Full of passion and love. No sex involved at all. She pulled back and asked, "Ready?"

At Star's nod, Melissa grabbed her hand and walked through the portal with her. The portal led them into a wooded area on a tall hill behind a large building with lights. A mall. It may have been a while, but even they knew one when they saw one. It was really strange to see electric lights and neon colors again. They weren't next to it per se, but definitely not too far. Will peeked her head out of the tree line and looked around their environment. Based on the Sun's position, it was around eleven in the morning. It was shining bright and hot.

"Alright," she said. Then ducked back into the circle of six and took a deep breath with crossed arms. "We're here... Now what?"

Irma sighed and placed a hand on Cornelia's shoulder staring up at her. "Yes... Now what? While you two were playing love and kisses, we realized we have an issue."

Melissa and Will glanced at each other. Then drawled together, "Like what?"

"Uhhh... How are we going to find the portals?"

"Easy, we uhhh... Uhhh..." Crickets chirped through the circle for a moment that developed an awkward habit for each of them. Hay-Lin sucked in her lips and rocked on her feet next to Taranee who was casually snapping her fingers. Making a tiny lick of fire dance on her index.

Star looked like she was going to make a suggestion but just shut her mouth and sucked her lips in.

"I got it!" They jumped and focused on "Idea Taranee." The one where she literally turns into a geek in a few seconds. She grabbed Hay-Lin's shoulders and asked, "Remember when we first started being Guardians?"

Star crossed her arms with a grin and replied, "How could we forget? We were all in middle school. Little rats scurrying around messing things up and avoiding our parents."

"Yeah! When we first started out, Yan-Lin—rest her soul—gave us that map to track them with! We held the Heart over it, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that!" Cornelia pointed out. Clearly excited, they all turned to Will. She held a frozen wide-eyed expression of biting her bottom lip, smiling.

Taranee inquired, "Star what happened to that map... Do you remember? I know it's been a while."

Star let her lip go with a suck of her teeth. She actually did remember. But she didn't like the memory. "Uhh... Yeah... Yeah, I do. It's uh... In my bed with other Guardian stuff."

"Well let's go get it." Hay-Lin lifted the Heart to create another portal. But Star stopped her by shutting it down with her Remnant.

"No no, in... My old house."

They all slowly focused on Star avoiding eye contact. Melissa wasn't around at the time so she had no idea what they were talking about.

Irma walked out the treeline to stare at all the movement of Saturday in Heatherfield and asked, "Do you think it's still there?"

The others filed out wearing their Meridian gear of leather and natural looks which included palm leaves. Star shrugged and answered, "Maybe. It's been fifteen years. I sort of forgot where I lived."

"And dressed." They all stopped and looked themselves over at Cornelia's declaration. She lifted her finger and suggested, "Glamours. Until we get good intel."

After they applied them and changed into baseball outfits for "Team Kandrakar," Irma sighed and shook her head. "We still stick out. We're tall girls. Not to mention it's hard to hide Star." They all focused on the deep natural redhead sporting a long ponytail with a burn on her face. She could hide that, yet it'd still be hard to hide her. Even Star herself couldn't deny that. She was a one-of-a-kind gal.

Hay-Lin shrugged and walked

towards the only door available at the moment. Propped open with a chair. "We're not trying to hide. We're looking for portals, and for the one trying to open them. Star and Melissa? You girls get to the map while we get information."

Star and Melissa nodded and used the air to push themselves up to the roof while the rest walked into... A kitchen? Tile floors, steel tables. It was becoming a bit much for their minds. All this machinery and tools they weren't used to anymore. Even the computer on the wall freaked out Taranee a little. As well as a cell phone ringing that made Cornelia of all people jump.

The chefs inside stopped working the meat and whatever else and just stared at them. And they in turn stared back. Finding this awkward, Irma asked in a foreign accent, "Hey, yeah, where is the entrance? We are not from here, so..."

~TLO~

After William finally got the door unlocked to their house, he ran across the wooden flooring into their shining living room and tossed Lillian's clothes onto the nearest couch. "Lillian, how many clothes do you need?" He complained.

After shutting and locking the door, Lillian skipped across the flooring and wrapped her arms up around his neck from behind. "Well how many can you carry?"

William rolled his eyes and turned to face her with a smile. He met her grin with his own. "Double this load is my limit." Since no one greeted them, they were alone. Perfect.

Lillian leaned up nearly lip to lip with her boyfriend and answered, "Will your mother allow her little boy to carry big things?"

William shrugged and stated, "Mom doesn't really say anything, baby." With her in his arms, he backed up to trip over the armrest of their main couch facing the fifty five inch tv onto his back with her lying on top. "Like how making out isn't a rule."

He moved his hands up Lillian's dress, coming in contact with everything underneath that made Lillian moan in need. His hands were the best. Especially through lace. Moaning, Lillian whispered, "I'm older, I'm supposed to be touching you."

"You don't feel me? Maybe you should move a little." William grabbed her waist and made her body rub against the one thing that stuck out the most.

Lillian gasped then moaned. She knew what he wanted. And he knew what she wanted. He pulled her down to his neck and whispered in her ear, "Feel it now?"

Lillian smirked and answered, "Yeah. And you've got your feel. So..." Lillian slid off his lap and stood up to adjust her dress. And smirk over her shoulder. "That's it."

Oh no. Lillian always did this. Get everything heated then cut it off in a few seconds. Making him suffer. Not this time. William grabbed her arm and pulled her back down with a yelp. "Yeah, not today!"

Lillian jumped out of his tender grasp and teasingly skipped over to the other side of the room. Peeking over her shoulder, she teased, "You gotta catch me if you want me."

William stood up and countered her on one side of the table while she took the other side, holding a stand off. When William moved to the right, she did too. And when he moved to the left, she did as well. They ran in a circle until William switched it up and quickly darted the same way she was going. Before she could run away, William grabbed her around the waist and hefted her up.

"Eeee, William put me down!" She ordered. But even she could hear that smile in her voice.

William shook his head and spun her around. "Nope! Today was your last day, Princess! Get ready to—" The sound of glass shattering broke the mood, replacing the playful atmosphere with a serious storm.

William immediately set Lillian down and looked around for the source. He followed the sound from before to the tv. Thankfully it wasn't the TV that broke. But something of equal value was.

"The family photo!" He darted around the table to the small frame lying face down on the wooden floor with Lillian hot on his tail. Then slid to his knees and carefully picked it up. Small pieces of glass fell to the floor originating from the front.

Lillian seethed and whispered in a panic, "Oh my god, I am so sorry! I-I-I don't know what happened!"

William stood up and yelled, "Mom is going to kill me!" He whirled around and presented the picture frame made of a smooth wood to Lillian. It was the picture of him when he was a baby being held by both mom and dad in front of a green wallpaper. Lillian is very familiar with that one. There were five copies of that photo around the house. In the kitchen, living room, bathroom, back room, and his room.

William gulped and stated, "This is mom's treasured item, she really loves this photo. Like... A lot. Like she'll come down here before bed and just stare at it."

Lillian took hold of the photo and looked at it at the same time the stand fell off, including the picture. It fluttered and floated to the floor, landing on the face and exposing the back. And what was on it.

Lillian and William kneeled down and quickly picked up the pieces. Lillian grabbed the stand while William kept the photo. And his eyes on the back. His sense of worry was changed to curiosity. "Hey... Who's this?" He whispered.

Lillian followed his gaze and widened her eyes at the find. On the left side of the white back was a photo of a young girl with red hair and her hands clasped together wearing a red dress. Grinning at the camera. Lillian and William shared a look and slowly stood up to stare at each other.

Lillian asked the most obvious question, "Do you have a—"

William shook his head and stated, "No, mom and dad said I'm an only child. I asked last week because Chris said something."

"Then... Who is she?"

William couldn't answer. He had no clue. But whoever they were was around when he was two to three years old.

Their moment was once again interrupted when the door jiggled, freezing both their hearts. After it squeaked open, Susan strode in and said, "Hey, Lillian and William. We saw you walk in and decided to move the party over here, so..." Susan froze while Dean and the Cordeau neighbors settled in. Then yelled, "Did you break that?!"

Lillian immediately placed her hands on William's arms and said, "It was my fault! We were playing around and my feet kicked it, I am really really sorry, Mrs. Vandom."

Keitlyn glanced between the two women and started to decide that she and Samuel should come back another day. But William's whisper made her pause. "Uh... Mom?"

Susan sighed and looked up from her hands to William. Prepared to scold him. But her sights shifted from him to the photo in his hand that he was staring at. The one that made her own heart stop pumping, brain stop functioning, and limbs freeze.

The family photo. With Will fully unfolded. Keitlyn slowly curled her lips in and looked to Susan like everyone else. William pointed to Will and asked, "Who is this?"

Susan bit her bottom lip and sighed while she eyed the photo. All of those memories from so long ago were returning. All of them. Fadden, the fights... Susan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In, out. In, out. William repeated the question, still waiting for an answer.

Getting her ground back, Susan walked forward and ordered, "William, sit down. I need to tell you something. Dean, could you get the box?"

William grabbed Lillian's hand and led her over to the couch per his mother's orders. But kept his eyes on Susan's when she approached. And when she sat down next to him.

She tenderly grabbed hold of the photo and lightly pulled it up to her face. No matter how hard she tried, this prison of guilt she was locked in will never allow her to leave. She sighed and turned back to scared little William and his girlfriend. She too had a sister. Whether she knew or not didn't matter right now.

Susan decided wait time was over. She sighed and said, "William... Before I married Dean, I had another husband I divorced. Believe it or not, I was born and raised in Fadden Hills."

Surprised, he repeated, "Fadden Hills?"

"Yes. Expensive Fadden, as you teens call it. We were happy. And we raised a family. This..." She pointed at Will. "Is exactly who you think it is. This is your sister. Half-sister actually."

Half... Sister?! William announced, "But you said I was an only child!"

Susan raised her hand to calm him down. "Yes, I am aware. And to be honest, I regret everything I said for a long time."

William stood up and started pacing the wooden floors. That thing he does when he's nervous and trying to think. With his head down, he muttered, "I can't believe this. I sort of don't."

Dean clambered down the stairs at just the right time with the jewelry box in his hand. He held out to Susan over the back of the couch. She took it but kept her eyes on her son. "Then... I guess it's time." He looked back to his mother when she placed the jewelry box on the table. Then unlatched and flipped it open.

After digging around, she held up the red key. Then tilted it out towards him. His eyes rested on the steel in her hand for a moment. Then shifted up to his mother's for an answer. "Go," she said. Then motioned with her head to the stairs. "See the room."

The room? As in the room he's barely allowed to even look at? Was this the secret she never talks about? William calmly grabbed the key. Then slowly walked past them for the stairs. Once he was treading them, Susan motioned to Lillian to follow him. He would need her for this.

~TLO~

It took two hours. Two grueling hours of flying, getting lost, and slight frustration. But Star and Melissa finally managed to stand on the familiar corner of their homes' street. Over the years, trees were planted and a median was created that turned this little neighborhood into a small New York type. Complete with a few townhouses.

Melissa slowly slid Star's hand into her own for support. There was no telling what was going through her mind. That blank stare behind that veil of red hair showed only so much.

Melissa sighed and asked, "Who's getting that map?"

"You are," Star answered. Melissa knew for a fact she wouldn't. "I'm not allowed in that house. Remember?"

Melissa rolled her eyes and decided to move forward with Star in her grip. "Star, you and I both know that they're going to see you. Don't make this harder for yourself. Face your fears." She turned to Star and kissed her left cheek. "Make it better."

Star only sighed and raised their conjoined hands. They were together in this. Locked by the rings they placed on each other's fingers and their friendship. They would never leave each other.

Star kissed the back of Melissa's hand and whispered, "Okay. I'll make an attempt."

~TLO~

Even after mom gave him the truth with a key, William still couldn't bring himself to open this door. The same one in front of him he has never opened. Lillian stood behind him holding his hand patiently with Susan and Keitlyn. They were great neighbors. Pretty much family. Great family.

But that girl in the photo was too apparently. A person he's never met.

William slid the key into the door and twisted it to the right successfully. Then gripped the knob, slowly rotated and pushed open.

The sunlight from the covered window bounced off the colors of Pink, red, and a bunch of girly stuff. And way too many frogs. Whoever she was loved frogs. The room was bathed in Pink and there was still a bit of clothes on the floor from the past.

William walked into the room and looked around. Pictures, hairbrushes, all types of girly things. Then trained his eyes on the picture frames on the dresser. Of this sister of his and her friends apparently. Including a possible girlfriend kissing her cheek at the beach.

He picked one up and asked, "What was her name?"

Susan slowly walked in behind Lillian and locked her eyes on the photo. "Her name was Wilhelmina. But she liked Will. As you can see she had a thing for frogs." Susan let out a dry laugh and grabbed a photo herself to look at while trying to keep the tears away. Will and that doormouse. "She never got her hands on a real one... When she was around."

William looked to her and whispered, "That's what I don't get. What happened to her, mom? There must be a reason you hid her from me and locked up her room."

Susan sighed and set the photo back down to think. She couldn't really say much about it. It was a really touchy subject. But Susan decided to be straightforward. But before she could answer, someone knocked on the door downstairs.

Dean raised his hand and left the room with Samuel. Leaving the women with this touchy subject. After reaching the bottom floor, Samuel whispered, "This must be tearing her apart."

Dean sighed and unlocked the door. Then pulled it open to come face to... Kandrakar sports jersey?

He looked up into the nervous face of a female maybe in her early thirties, but had the personality of a teenager that he could see. Shaved hair of black, light brown eyes. Smiling. Dean greeted, "Hi, can I help you?"

Melissa sighed and smiled at him. "Hey, Dean. Long time, no see."

Dean let the door go and crossed his arms to this strange woman who knew his name before Samuel walked in. He and Melissa locked eyes for a moment, one trying to figure out the other. "...dad?"

Samuel widened his eyes and scanned her quickly. Brown eyes, shaved black hair... "Melissa?" He asked.

Melissa grinned and yelled, "DAD!"

"MELISSA!" He pushed Dean aside and pulled her into a much needed hug right in the doorway. Melissa assumed her father must've been visiting or something.

Dean stepped to the side and watched them wobble inside still hugging. Samuel pulled back and yelled, "Honey, get down here! Look at you, all you grown up! Where the hell have you... Ohhhh!" Then pulled her back in crying into her neck.

Melissa laughed and wiped her tears while her father pulled away once more to look her over. Keitlyn jogged down with Susan and the kids at Samuel's demand. Laughing at Melissa's iconic figure. She looked up past her father to Keitlyn. The black haired twin in the distance. Her mother. Melissa whispered, "Mom?"

"...Melissa?"

"Hey, mom." Keitlyn didn't even respond. She ran past Samuel and pulled Melissa into her chest.

"Oh my god... Oh my god baby," she whimpered. "You're okay... You're okay."

Melissa looked over her mother's shoulder and eyed Dean's smile with tears in her eyes. He crossed his arms and stated, "Well this is quite the surprise! Where'd you come from, stranger?"

"A hole in the air," she teased. Then sniffled and added, "I have a feeling I'm nearly two decades late on that project. And every last one of my assignments."

"Are you going to do them?"

"Nah. I'm already doing taxes, I don't need more homework."

Keitlyn pulled back and assessed her daughter. Clearly healthy if her figure was a clue. Tall and... Plays sports? She grinned and asked, "Team Kandrakar?"

Melissa shrugged and said, "We were in a rush and actually don't have regular clothes. Hello, Susan."

Susan smiled and commented, "You shaved your head."

Melissa broke out of her parents' grip and walked over to Susan to give her a hug. "Yes I did." She whispered quietly in her ear, "She's outside." Then pulled back and looked at William. "Whoa, is this William? The little squirt finally grew up! I remember when you were crying and pooping your itty bitty pants." William had no idea who she was, but she knew him. Somehow.

Keitlyn grabbed Melissa's arms and said, "You came at a great time. We have to catch up, but look. William is just... Finding out."

Melissa glanced around awkwardly. They arrived at a very wrong time. Family issues are about to blow up. She curled her lips in and gestured to the door left cracked open with her eyes. Twice.

Keitlyn followed her sight. Then looked back and asked, "Outside?"

After a nod, Melissa walked to the door and instructed, "Stay here, she can hold a very deep grudge." Then slipped out, leaving them clueless.

Susan and Dean shared a fearful look. Will was here, isn't that a good thing? Keitlyn motioned to Susan from across to William and Lillian. Message clear. It's best if you ready him.

Susan cleared her voice and turned to William to say, "Well I guess you can hear from her yourself. That's Melissa, she's really close with your sister."

A few voices reached their ears from beyond the door. Two women. Melissa and another they could barely recognize that had a much more thick voice. The door was pushed open by Melissa smiling. She stepped in first. Followed by the girl with the longest of red hair hiding the right half of her face trying to hide.

Keitlyn pointed to her and cheered, "There's my girl!" Star smiled and allowed Keitlyn to pull her into a hug followed by Samuel.

"Hey, guys," she greeted. "I kept that promise."

Once they pulled away, Keitlyn playfully commented, "Don't you ever cut your hair?"

"I do ponytails and trimming."

"Eh. That works. It's been fifteen years, you two! Where have you been?"

Star and Melissa glanced at each other then back to Keitlyn. Star reminded her, "Chasing criminals, beating them senseless, and tossing them behind bars."

"Eh. It sounds right."

Star smiled then looked up and locked eyes with the one person that made her lose it. Susan gulped and walked forward on slow feet, eyeing her daughter up and down. "...Will..."

"Star," she corrected. "Hello... Susan."


	35. Clouds

**Clouds**

When Melissa shut the door, it was as if the room turned into ice. William had pulled Lillian back towards the living room to keep her away from those two. The only ones actually near this drama was "Melissa," whoever she was. Her parents also had isolated them. Leaving Dean and Susan there.

Finding her voice, Susan whispered, "It's been fifteen years since you..."

"Say it," Star growled. "Since I became 'a tyrant,' and you disowned me."

Susan flinched when that conversation popped into her head. She could never escape it. Sighing, Susan said, "Will-"

"Star. We need something from my room."

"Will, we need to talk about this."

"Star. And you already said what you had to say. And I said what I had to say. You said I wasn't your daughter. Twice. Enough said, end of conversation."

William and Lillian ducked down behind the couch a little bit. Leaving them to their argument. Lillian whispered, "That's your sister? She looks nothing like you." William was unfortunately still trying to process everything. He hadn't reached that point yet.

Susan placed her head in her hands and was about to say something but Star beat her to it. "You know what happened after we left that building? I took everything I had... And burned them. My friends weren't safe and I wasn't either. You gave up on me and kicked me out. So I left. And you've been wanting to do that for a long time, I could tell. There are more places I could stay at besides this place where I was no longer welcome."

Susan shook her head and apologized, "Will, I'm sorry-"

"THE NAME IS STAR!" She yelled. Melissa grabbed her hand and rubbed her thumb across the top attempting soothe her flaring emotions. "When you disowned me, I changed everything you gave me. Don't call me Will, don't call me Wilhelmina. It's Star or Starfire now. That's what everyone calls me."

Susan pointed at herself and said, "I am your mother. I know what I said was wrong and I'm sorry. I've been beating myself up ever since you left. I had all your pictures hid, your room locked just to keep myself from feeling guilty. Your brother had no idea who you were until a few minutes ago, way before you walked in! I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry!"

Before Susan could start bawling Star grabbed her arm and pulled her in to cry into her chest. Silently cursing herself for pitying her. "Dammit," she muttered. A few tears even leaked from her own eyes.

Melissa rubbed Star's back and glanced at William and that girl with him. She looked like Cornelia a little. Wait...

She pointed a finger at her and looked to Dean smiling. "Is that Lillian? Lillian Hale?"

He smirked and nodded. "Yes it is. They're dating."

"No way."

"Yeah, it's true. Almost a year."

"No way. Star, baby." Star rotated her body still holding Susan with a question in her eyes. Melissa motioned to William and Lillian. "Cornelia's sister is dating your brother."

"...what?" Will calmly pushed Susan away a little and eyed the two peeking over the couch. "...my brother?"

William stood back up and asked, "You're my sister?"

"Oh, oh, oh! Idea~!" Melissa sang. She did jazz hands with a grin on her face. Oh no. That move. The move that makes Will want to hide.

Star pulled her lips in and slowly shook her head while Melissa just nodded biting her own. "Melissa? Whenever you get ideas, I hide."

Melissa pouted and shot back, "The waterfire was an accident."

"My apple tree blew up because you watered it. How did that happen again?"

"Moving on!" Melissa grabbed Star's shoulders and pushed past Susan with Dean for the stairs. "While the others and I are playing elite detectives, you research possible candidates and get to know your family."

Star stomped her feet at the foot of the stairs and yelled, "What?! This is why I hide from your ideas, that's terrible! You guys need all the help you can get, especially if someone can access the veil like this."

Melissa rolled her eyes and said, "Go get the map, we'll talk about this once you're back." While Star walked up the stairs, Melissa turned around to face her family's confused faces.

Susan sniffed the last of her tears away and asked, "I take it you're not here for a reunion?"

Melissa glanced over to the kids then to the adults. "Nope," she answered. "Someone is opening portals in the veil. With an origin of... Here. We've been sent in to investigate."

William peeked over and asked, "So my sister's a... Police officer?"

"Er..." Melissa glanced at the others for help but they could only shrug. "Well, your sister is-"

"A super powerful woman who can kick butt!" Star skipped out of the stairwell and up to Melissa with a very old scroll in her hand. She held it out to her but asked, "Did you know I existed?"

William slowly shook his head before Lillian asked, "Who are you again?"

Will proudly pointed to herself and answered, "I'm Will Vandom but I go by Starfire. Or Star. That's what I'm called unless I say otherwise. Got it Little Cornelia?"

"Wait! You know my sister?" Lillian stood up so fast she almost fell. But she found her footing and made her way around to "Starfire." "I've never met her but mom said I had a sister named Cornelia."

Lillian more than likely forgot about her. They all disappeared when she was ten, and William much younger. Star nodded and answered, "Oh we both know her. They're looking around right now, but-"

"Correction." Melissa carefully unrolled the scroll and stated, "Hay just pinged me. They're coming this way to hear the plan. They'll be here in a few seconds."

Star looked back to Lillian and stated, "They're coming here for this 'Idea' Melissa has that I don't like."

The door suddenly pushed open, startling them just a bit before they heard that voice. "Knock knock, Guardians in the house! Let's party!"

Irma skipped in with a pep in her step up to Susan and wrapped an arm around her neck. "Hey, Mrs. Vandom! Miss me?"

Susan just smirked and greeted, "Hello, Irma. It's been so long."

"Yeah, we missed it a little," Taranee stated. She walked in with Hay-Lin and Cornelia bearing the most serious of gazes. All wearing baseball uniforms with "Kandrakar on the front.

Hay-Lin walked over to Melissa and greeted, "Hello, everyone. What's this idea?"

Melissa placed the map into her hand and answered, "While we're doing field work, Star does background work and looks for possible candidates while also reconnecting with her family."

Hay-Lin looked up to the Vandom family and assessed Susan and Dean. Then the two peeking over the couch. She looked back to Susan and asked, "Did you have another daughter?"

Melissa bumped in with her grin and said, "No, no, that's the best part. Guess who that is?"

"No, tell me."

"That's Lillian and William. Cornelia's little sister and Star's little brother. They're dating."

Taranee whistled a descending tone and faced the only tall girl in the room at six feet. Cornelia was just locking eyes with Star who had her hands up in defense. "I knew nothing about this. And why or how would I?"

Cornelia sighed and walked around the couches to stand on the other side, facing Lillian with a slight smile. Looking her over now, Cornelia could see her little sister. But just to be sure...

"What's your name?"

Lillian gulped and answered, "Lillian Hale?"

"What's your birth year?"

"1998."

"Statutory rape, but that's not my business. Who are your parents?"

"Elizabeth and Harold Hale."

Cornelia sighed and covered her face for a moment. That was her sister. "Dammit," she muttered. Then walked around the couch and swept Lillian into the biggest hug she could muster. A tight one. "Oh my god, Lillian."

Irma had never seen Cornelia cry in years. But here she was, sniffling away in her little sister's hair. "Does mom still work at the museum?"

"...yeah," Lillian answered. Right before she started crying too. "You're my sister?"

"Yeah... Yeah, Lillian. Is Napoleon still around?"

"Yeah. Yeah, he's still around. But..." Lillian slowly pulled back and asked, "Where have you been? You left when I was ten! Why? Why did you leave?"

Cornelia straightened up and said, "Well... I'll tell you tonight when I come by the house, alright? I can't tell you now, but I will, I promise."

Lillian wiped her eyes and laughed sadly. "You better. Don't you dare not show, I'll track you down."

Cornelia chuckled and shrugged. "I'm expecting you to."

Lillian laughed and covered her face before Cornelia pulled her back in. "We still have a job to do, so... I'll swing by, alright?"

"...Okay."

Hay-Lin let a small smile grace her face. It was nice seeing this for a change. A much happier reunion with their loved ones. But Cornelia was right. They had a mission to complete. So she turned around and reached into her shirt for the Heart. Taranee unrolled the map for her while she fished it out. Then held it over the old document.

"Whoa, girls." The Guardians and Star turned her way then walked over in anxiety. "We have to get started, there's fourteen."

"Fourteen?" Star repeated. She looked over Hay's shoulder and eyed the fourteen blue Xs on the map. Five near downtown, two on the beach, and maybe seven at the mall. Something isn't right. Most of them are at the mall where they could be seen.

Taranee sighed and said, "Well we need Star's help closing them, so she can't stay here right now. How do you close them?"

Star motioned towards the door and answered, "I'll tell you outside. Let's go." While they filed out the door, she turned to Susan and said, "We're going to talk later. You and me, one on one. This isn't over."

Susan nodded and replied, "Of course, just... Come back. Okay? I still barely understand this stuff, but I want to."

"Be careful what you wish for. You might not like it." After a shoulder pat, Star walked out with Melissa and closed the door, basking the home once more in silence. William sighed and stroked his nose while Lillian wiped her eyes repeatedly to keep tears from ruining her dress.

"I have to get those clothes home," She whispered. William nodded and stood up to help her. She didn't need to be out here by herself. Besides, he had a lot to think about.

~TLO~

After they walked out the house, Star immediately opened a rift that led back to the woods behind the mall. Settled on a large hill that overlooked everything. They could see the highway, a nearby car dealership, and much more.

Cornelia was taking it hard that her little sister had grown into a full grown woman without her. Once they stopped at the treeline facing the back of the mall, she whispered behind her hands, "She's eighteen now... I missed everything."

Star leaned against a tree and crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, Cornelia. I didn't realize that-"

"No, it's... It's fine, what's done is done. All that time has passed now and there's nothing I can do about it. Besides... If I didn't, she would have no big sister at all. How about you girls?"

Taranee leaned against the tree with Star and stated, "We're all going to see our family soon. Let's be honest. Irma's in line for meet and greets with her brother who's probably nearly as old as Lillian. She's dating someone three years younger than her, isn't that a stretch?"

Star shrugged with that same thought in mind. "As long as they're both happy. I can't really say anything anyway. Let's get down to business."

"Right." Hay-Lin unrolled the map and held the Heart over it. They were near a cluster of them already with a few spread throughout the city-state. "Star, Cornelia, and Irma? You take the mall. Keep an eye out for any suspicious eyes. Someone is purposely making these. Notice how a majority are in the mall. Where people can see them."

Taranee threw her long blue braid behind her head and asked, "What do you think it means?"

"Let's find out. Stick together and keep it quiet. Keep an open channel so we're all on the same page. Got it?" At the nod, Hay-Lin transformed the Guardians and Star transformed into her own self. While Hay-Lin led Melissa and Taranee into the air, Star took a knee and eyed the mall with her group.

Cornelia eyed the building from her right and asked, "How do we sneak in without being seen?"

Irma in her serious state of mind answered from Star's left, "Unfortunately, we can't. But Starfire can."

Star nodded and answered, "She's right. I'm the only one here who can transform on her own. So here's the plan. There are skylights on the top. Fly up there and keep an eye out. Nobody really looks up there anyway. But just in case, stay out of sight as much as possible. I'll let you know of my location." Star removed her form and took up her front as Will Vandom once more wearing a millennial 'emo girl' outfit. Short sleeved pink shirt with plaided black and red tights and a spiked belt. Complete with a leather choker that she adjusted.

Then ran out of the woods while Cornelia and Irma soared for the roof practically made out of glass.

While the Guardians were doing their thing, William and Lillian were trying to figure things out. One was escorted back home by the guy carrying the clothes. Lillian may be older by far, but she was much smaller. He was thin, but tall for his age.

The only sound coming from the two of them were their footsteps slapping onto concrete, shaded by the looming skyscrapers above. After awhile, Lillian looked up to William and asked, "So... How are you doing?"

He sighed in dismay and answered, "I'm... Confused. I have no idea who this girl is who mom and her call my sister. I see nothing in her in me. She's... A little aggressive and loud. And gay."

"That's not an issue, is it?"

"Of course not, it's just I don't see it. And why did she come back out of the blue? I mean she just opened the door and engaged in an argument with mom. I don't get it."

Lillian rubbed his arm and encouraged him with, "Hey, I'm sure it'll be okay. Get to know her first. She seems... Nice, in a way. I'm sure underneath all of that aggressive behavior is a sweet woman."

"Yeah... Maybe."

After a few more silent minutes, they finally arrived at Lillian's luxury apartment complex. She still lives with her parents until she's able to live on her own. Right now, she was looking for a high paying job, but still managed to find time for her boyfriend. He would get his own job at sixteen. Until then, he was living off his own parents.

Lillian lived on the second floor in a suite with a lot of rooms, a kitchen, and an annoying cat that didn't like William. After Lillian unlocked and pushed the door open, they strode inside the sunny home, lit by the wall of windows in the living room displaying the city.

Her mother looked the same as always. And was actually behind the door adjusting her jogging outfit. She was probably going for one right before they walked in. Smiling at Lillian, she kindly greeted, "Hi, sweetheart. William. How was your shopping spree? I see your way-too-young boyfriend carrying your things again."

While William set her stuff down on the fancy couches, Lillian grabbed her mother's hands and answered timidly, "Well... William has a sister. She just showed up, and he just found out."

Forgetting her jogging, Elizabeth gasped and asked, "Will's back?!"

Lillian and William both asked at the same time, "You knew about this?!"

Elizabeth quickly reigned herself in and gestured towards the couch. Jogging could wait for a moment. Leading her catatonic daughter by the hands, she answered, "Well... I was there with everyone else when she disappeared. It was an extremely big deal. Really big. So big the entire city got involved."

William's mind was officially blown. He slapped his hands over his face and groaned loud to the ceiling while Lillian sat down with him and her mother. "How big?" He grunted.

"Ummm... It's really not my business to go into specifics, but... The FBI got involved."

"THE FBI?!" They shouted. William shot up and stated, "I knew there was something suspicious about her! I knew it! Mom kicked her out because she did something illegal and she got upset!"

Elizabeth raised her hands to calm him down. "Whoa, William. None of us know the entire story. All we know was that the FBI were looking for six girls and Will and Lillian's sister were involved along with a few others."

"Speaking of her... She showed up too." Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Cornelia showed up too. Sh-She said she was going to show up tonight."

"Oh my god, are you sure?! Is she okay?!"

Lillian shrugged and answered, "She's... Tall?"

~TLO~

Star decided to be innocent today. As innocent as she possibly could with tattoos of the elements on both arms showing, long deep red hair, and an emo style. She even took the Mall's main entrance. "I'm in," she pinged. "Should I do some shopping?"

Hay-Lin immediately replied, "Yeah, shop for some information. I have a bad feeling about that mall."

Star rolled her eyes and looked around her. She seemed to have entered the area for shops selling sweets. A Starbucks, LoliPolly, and other cheesy names. Her sight was brightened by the overhead sunroofs that Cornelia and Irma were looking down through.

Star stepped out onto an intersection and looked around before Irma poked in. "Star, I'm seeing a lot of activity on the level below on your left."

"Got it." Star turned her body and made her way for the moving stairs receiving a lot of attention. "All of this technology is hurting my brain."

"We'll adapt," Cornelia stated. "Be wary of cameras, girls. Beach in sight, we're landing." Star stepped onto the escalator and crossed her arms as she moved. But kept her narrowed eye on the large gathering of people up ahead. It didn't look too good. Or promising.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, getting her to whirl around and look up into some Jock's face. High School definitely. Him and his cronies. He nodded at her and greeted, "Hey, what's your name?"

"Girls, I am currently being hit on by an ugly behemoth, should I slice him and dice him?"

"Please don't," Melissa begged.

Star finally answered, "Starfire."

The guy talking whistled and asked, "Is that your real name? Doesn't sound like it."

"It is."

"Awesome. Hey, how about you and I go grab a milkshake?"

"No." Star turned around and stepped off the stairs with him hot on her tail.

"Aww come on. A babe like you can't be out here by yourself." He ran in front of her and backed up while she walked forward. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a wad of money. A bunch of twenties next to that smirk. "I'll make it worth your while."

Star stopped and slowly shook her head. "Either you put that back in your pocket... Or it's flying into my pocket." Then pushed him aside and continued moving.

"Men are dogs," Star pinged. "He tried to pay me like some harlot."

"Ugh! I want to go over there and stomp on his body!" Melissa yelled. "Does he not realize you're 31?!"

Star sighed and answered, "Unfortunately not. Okay, I'm at a gathering of people. Right on top of the portal."

Star pushed past everyone else and made her way to the front. Ignoring all the nasty comments she was getting. After a few long seconds, she stopped behind the second line and eyed what was going on. Then gasped at her find. "Girls? We have a huge problem. It's a portal alright. But it's not natural. And being commercialized."

In front of Star was a portal just like hers and Hay-Lin's. But instead of it being blue, it was purple and held behind a bunch of glass. How they got it in there was confusing but Star ignored it.

A female speaker was at the front wearing a business suit saying things in an upper tone that was riling Star up. "This will become the new preferred method of transportation!" No more cars shooting gasses into the air, planes will become obsolete. Boats too will be meaningless. Thanks to new technology sponsored by TechCom, LabRats Labs, Singular Motion, and Mississippi Magik Tech. We have finally managed to defy the laws of physics and time."

Star showed her emotion on her face. Disgust, anger, and a bit of fear. "This isn't right."

"No it isn't," Taranee agreed. "We're at our own show 'n tell here at the beach. What's the move, Hay?"

"Shut 'em down," she answered. "But keep it quiet."

Star immediately turned and started making her way out of the crowd. During the move, that woman's voice continued to annoy her. "No electricity, and no gas. Pure natural energy that flows through the air."

"Where the hell is the fire alarm?" Star pinged. She ran towards the hall that held the bathrooms. There was a fire alarm over here. Bright red and sticking out like a Ruby. Perfect. Right beside the Girl's bathroom. But hey. Let's take this up a bit. Why prank someone with a fire alarm... When you can make actual fire? The law of Kandrakar must be withheld by any means necessary.

At least to her. Star stopped beside the door to the Girl's restroom and looked back towards the entrances to the hall. Coast clear, Star set her right hand on fire and touched the wall. And just like that, a fire spread out like a large circle. Hot, orange, and angry.

Taking a deep breath, Star took up her persona of innocence: A panicking woman in her early thirties. She replaced her current look with the clothes and hair of another woman. Changing from redhead to blonde. She didn't need her face in the news again.

Running out in an orange dress, she yelled, "Fire! There's a fire near the bathrooms!" For reassurance, Star shifted her hand while she booked it for the kiosks, spreading the flames out into sight. A few people yelled and screamed behind her. Then everyone started making their way for the exits.

But not Star. She ducked down behind a stand then turned herself invisible for a moment to watch everyone rush by. "I got my distraction," she pinged. "How are you girls?"

The crowd that gathered on the hot sunlit beach were listening intently to the speaker talk. Completely entranced by their words and the slowly spinning purple portal on a metal stage showing it off in front of the waves. Until it suddenly shrunk and disappeared. In the very back of the suddenly and verbally confused crowd, Hay-Lin quietly tucked the Heart of Kandrakar back underneath the trenchcoat she, Melissa, and Taranee got their hands on. Eyes glaring at the man-made machine housing it.

"The beach portal is closed," Hay-Lin pinged. "Get all the ones in the mall and meet back where we started. We're moving on." Hay-Lin turned around and started making her way back to the boardwalk. Taranee and Melissa stood there on tense feet, eyeing the machine before they too followed. Leaving mystery and inconspicuousness. Whoever made these portals were playing a dangerous game. Because the Guardians were now involved.


	36. Life Returns

**Life Returns**

After the portals were closed, The Guardians and Holder met back up at the woods behind the mall. High police presence and firetrucks. Irma and Melissa sighed while the others were more stoic about it. Once they landed, they observed the Mall's current emergency promotion regarding a fire through the news media.

With her eyes on it, Irma groaned and asked, "Did you really have to do that?"

Star shrugged and answered, "I had to get those people out of there. The only way I can close a portal is through direct physical interaction, or through a lightning bolt. So either they saw a lightning bolt, or they saw a girl walk up and close the portal with her hands."

Taranee suggested, "Maybe next time you should cloak yourself and do it that way."

"...that never crossed my mind, I admit. I guess I got mad that they were commercialising the only thing protecting them from utter disaster. Sorry, girls."

Hay-Lin raised her hand smiling and reassured her. "No one was hurt. It's okay. But now we know what's going on. Someone discovered the veil. And is using it to make money. Successfully."

Cornelia crossed her arms and growled, "Despicable. It's not going to be easy getting to them. Taranee? Star? You two need to do your nerd thing. It's better if you work together to get as much information on this guy as possible."

Hay-Lin nodded and deformed them into normal citizens. Wearing their baseball outfits. Grabbing Taranee's hand she declared, "She's right. You two working together are our best bet at getting information about this person. Find the head, we make the arrest."

Melissa crossed her arms and inquired, "What about the police?"

"We are the police."

"No. Like, if we find this guy and we grab him, what then? Unlike the other worlds, the only people who even know about the Guardians and Kandrakar here are a select few of the FBI and my parents. And probably all of yours. No one else. The greed of money will continue to flow. And they won't learn their lesson, even when we ship them away."

Hay-Lin hummed and shared looks with the others. She was right. They could arrest this person behind it, but if it was in secret then someone else would copy them. And it would run in a cycle.

"I have an idea to make that happen." Starfire looked back to the mall going through a thorough check and added, "Apparently, TV still rules as the supreme source of information here. I forgot how to work one though, but... If we can somehow get one of us on their screens with a clear message or warning, then they might stop."

"And if they don't?" Hay inquired.

"Then we will have to force the issue into our own hands. We did leave a warning. So either they listen, or we take it down ourselves. Give them a time limit, a letter, the whole deal. And I know just who can scare them the most."

Hay-Lin smirked and glanced to the others. "Sounds like a plan. Agreed?"

"Agreed!"

"Great. Until then, Star? Taranee? Research these portals. But later, like tomorrow. I'm sure everyone has their own thing this evening. And T's hungry, so she needs something to eat." Taranee smiled and leaned onto Hay-Lin's shoulder in love and affection. Earning a kiss to the forehead.

Cornelia smiled at the two of them and shared a glance with Irma. "Yeah, I have to go see my family. I promised Lillian. I think everyone else does too."

Irma couldn't deny that. It'd be nice to see what happened after all these years. Scary too, but still nice.

Star grabbed Melissa's hand and said, "We'll be in touch." Then jumped through with Melissa and the others before it shut back, leaving Hay-Lin alone with Taranee.

Hay-Lin wrapped an arm around Taranee's waist and held up the Heart. But before she created a portal, she asked, "I can go in with you."

Taranee shook her head of braids and stated, "I'd rather do this myself, Hay." She pecked her on the cheek and whispered, "I'll be fine." Hay-Lin worries. A lot. She tries not to show it most of the time, but she does.

Hay-Lin sighed but coalesced with a simple nod. Being married, she had no other choice. So she kissed Taranee on the lips full of passion and affection. Electricity crackled between them when she parted and whispered, "Okay. I'm going to Meridian to retrieve the messenger. Good luck." Hay opened the portal for Taranee and kissed her once more before she walked through. Then closed it once she did.

Leaving Hay-Lin on her own mission. She opened one more portal for Meridian and jumped in. Then the area was as quiet as it were before. Nothing but grass, trees, swaying branches, and leaves. Fall was approaching.

~TLO~

There it was. The point of no return. It's been fifteen years since Taranee's seen this building. The Heatherfield State Courthouse. Hay-Lin dropped her off in an alley they spotted earlier when flying around. They all knew that when they'd get back to Earth they'd want to see their parents again. Their families, their friends. But the Veil came first. Without it, everything would collapse. Including them.

So Taranee pushed it to the side. But now here she stood. In between two bail bond shops eyeing the courthouse across. It was nearing that time though when she left with a few more people out those doors at the top of those steps.

Taranee took a deep breath and did that thing Star does with her hair when she's nervous. Stroking it like a madwoman. What if her mother was no longer a judge? She more than likely was though, she was a judge before she was even born.

The afternoon sun beat down on Taranee's head of blue hair when she finally stepped out of her hiding space. The heat reminded her of Meridian's summers. Taranee was stalling. She needed to face her fears.

So without further mental negotiations, she looked down the streets and jogged across for the other side. For the Courthouse where she hoped her mother still worked. Two people enjoying a hamburger passed by in front of her before she slowly walked up the marble stairs. Her feet were as heavy as an anvil. Her breathing deeper than Cornelia's when she's upset.

A quick glance to the sky told her it was around five. Mom should be coming out by now. So Taranee took a seat on the stairs and looked over her body while she waited. Was she presentable? Would her mother believe it was even her? How awkward would this get?! Maybe she should have researched first.

Taranee soothed her flaring emotions with guaranteed deep breaths. Hay-Lin would say something encouraging right now, but she wasn't here. Taranee had to be the one to stand back up and face her fears. Even if a tear did crawl down her face while she eyed those doors. What if her mother wasn't even alive? What if...

She's alive. The front door just opened and out she walked with three others making conversation. Her eyes may have slight baggage, but Taranee knew that smile and hairstyle anywhere. Living with Cornelia for a bit made her learn that everyone has a preferred style. Theresa's was a bob. Wearing a gray sweater for the incoming fall wind, she matched that with a pair of glasses, slack and flats. Her dark blue hair still has that bob to it.

While she and her friends walked down the stairs, Taranee turned around and silently whispered, "You can do this, Tara. Just a few words, no big. You got this." Taranee took another breath and let it out. She got this.

She looked back to her right at the four of them walking past and down the streets with their backs to her. Blending in with the rest of society. Taranee bit her lip and did what she was trained to do: Follow. Her steps were in sync with theirs. Matching their speed and tempo. Her mother was right there. She has to do something before she reaches wherever she's going. She had to do something now. Happiness, joy, rekindle and meet depended on it!

"Wait!" She shouted. The group immediately looked over their shoulders and stared at her frozen form holding a hand out in their direction. Just... Frozen. Maybe in fear.

Theresa's dark blue eyes glanced curiously at one of the others and them back at Taranee. "Can I help you?" She asked.

"I... Um..." Taranee pulled her hand back and glanced away awkwardly. She doesn't even remember her. "I... I need to talk to you, Judge Cook."

"Oh, uhh... Okay." Judge Cook abandoned her friends and walked back over to Taranee. It made Taranee's heart freeze up. But she had a plan in place once again. Theresa stopped and asked, "How can I help you?"

"I... I need advice," Taranee answered. She gulped and clarified, "It's about family and my instinct is telling me to speak with you about it."

Theresa wasn't one to turn down advice-giving. So she smiled with a nod and replied, "Okay. Ask away."

"I'm... I've been away from my mother for awhile. Years actually. I haven't been able to talk to her. She lives in Heatherfield and I'm worried that she'd... She'll push me away or hate me because of it. I'm too afraid to talk to her."

Theresa smiled and lightly grabbed Taranee's hand. But kept her eyes locked on hers. "Sweetie, your mother is going to be one happy woman. When did you leave?"

"Over a decade ago."

"She's going to be exuberant. Believe me... I'd know. My own child—my daughter... I haven't seen or heard from her in fifteen years. And not a day goes by that I don't think about her. If she were to just show up, I'd never let her go. Mothers love their children. What's your name?"

Taranee smiled and took another breath. Then said the few words that would either make her feel better, or feel worse.

"T... Taranee. My name is Taranee Cook."

Theresa slowly lost her smile and leaned back to scan the grown woman in front of her. Dark skin tone, blue beaded braids, brown eyes... "T... Taranee?" She repeated. Her eyes were starting to water and quiver with emotion. "Is... Is that you, baby?"

Taranee nodded her way with a smile. "Yeah... Hey, mom."

"Taranee?... TARANEE!" Tears burst from Theresa's eyes before she swept Taranee into the biggest and tightest hug she could really manage. "Oh my God, baby!" She buried Taranee's head akwardly in her neck. "You're home... You're home..." Tears flowed like a river from her face while emotional shocks crawled through her body.

Taranee was no better. She was holding back all of these emotions to flow out in the form of a sobbing mess. The smell, the feels, the way she held her. The way her own hands gripped tight around her mother's back. Theresa slowly pulled away and grabbed Taranee's wet smiling face.

"Oh my god... You grew up so..." Theresa slowly shook her head and pulled her back in to cry into her neck.

"How's daddy and Peter?" Taranee whimpered.

"Peter's great, sweetie."

"And dad?" Theresa sniffled and pulled back with her hands on Taranee's shoulders. Staring into her eyes. But Taranee could tell something was wrong. Because she didn't want to ruin this moment. Taranee slowly lost her smile and repeated, "Mom... What happened to dad?"

"...he's... He's gone, sweetheart."

~TLO~

The last time Irma was here at this police station, there weren't nearly as much officers as there were now. When she walked through the front doors around eight men in blue were in the lobby talking. Glancing her way when she passed for the front desk for a quick second before doing what they were doing before.

A female officer doing computer work on the other side looked up and greeted, "How can I help you?"

Irma leaned against the counter and asked, "Is Officer Lair around?"

"Uhhh yes he is. Do you need to speak with him?"

"Yes, please."

She picked up the phone and asked, "What's your name?"

"Irma Lair."

She nodded and dialed a number while Irma looked herself over. Still in this bland sports uniform. It was just a disguise. It wasn't really there. But the leather outfit from Meridian underneath was. She'd disable it later. Because some heavy footsteps were approaching from down the hall on her left.

She looked that way and nearly blanched at the man jogging in her direction. Tom Lair had lost weight. He looked much slimmer. "Irma?!" He yelled.

Irma smiled and greeted, "Hey, Daddy."

Tom Lair scooped Irma up into a hug so fast she yelped. She looked just like her mother. After all these years, just like her. He pulled back and gripped her face with the most proudest of smiles. "You go missing for fifteen years, then decide to show up at my job out of the blue! That's just like you!"

Irma couldn't respond. She just shed her tears and pulled him back into a tight hug. Never wanting to let go. Someone nearby started clapping with a few others. But they just pushed them out.

Tom pulled back slightly and kissed her forehead. "You look just your mother! Where have you been, your mother hasn't been the same since you left."

Irma burst into a laugh and answered, "Ohh... On the adventure of my life."

~TLO~

The luxury of living in high buildings was the view. Especially if you had a bunch of windows giving you an excellent view of Heatherfield. Lillian decided to kill the waiting time for Cornelia to arrive by drawing in her pajamas. She's not good, not even close but it helps get her mind on other things. Just so she didn't have to worry.

When dad got home, mom told him what she said. He was excited to hear it. But now they were starting to think otherwise. Lillian was sure of what she said though. Cornelia said she was coming by to explain everything. But it was getting dark now.

The parents in pajamas behind her were also having slight doubts. Glancing up to the clock, Elizabeth sighed to break the silence and asked, "Lillian, are you sure that—" Her question was cut when the doorbell rang and resonated through the house.

Napoleon meowed before Lillian jumped out of her seat and ran up the bit of stairs to the door. Just shy of reaching that point, she stopped and slowly unlocked it. Then gripped the handle, twisted and pulled it open.

A batch of roses in a strange color of red and green mixed together were what greeted her. Blinking at them, Lillian grabbed and calmly pulled them out of her hand. Revealing her older sister on the other side smiling. "I know I missed... So much, Lillian. And this will never make up for it, but... You literally can't get these anywhere else on this planet. And I hope that mom and dad can—"

"Shut up and get in here!" Elizabeth grabbed Cornelia's hand and pulled her in for a hug while Harold closed the door. Then piled on. Napoleon screeched and pawed at Cornelia's ankle while she was smothered by her crying mother and father. And little sister. Cornelia couldn't deny that she wasn't crying either. Her arms wrapped around them all and embraced in their presence as much as possible.

After awhile, Elizabeth sniffled and pulled away to wipe her eyes. And finally realize the woman standing in front from a different point of view. Harold too. She said in a whisper, "You've grown up, Cornelia... Literally. I've missed you so much sweetheart, you have no idea."

Cornelia could actually compare. She pulled her mother back in and whispered, "I can relate. We have a lot to catch up on."

Lillian picked up Napoleon and stated, "Yes we do. Mom said you and your friends got involved with the FBI. Why? What happened, why did you run away?"

Cornelia picked Napoleon out of her sister's arms to hold and greet and answered, "Well... In order to understand, you have to hear the whole story. So I'll start from the beginning. You were five years old..."

~TLO~

The sky outside the windshield was what captured Taranee's attention most of all. Each streetlight and building that passed was able to direct her mind away from the grip her mother was applying on her hand. After her mother dropped that bombshell that her father Lionel Cook was gone, she could believe. She wouldn't believe it.

But Theresa Cook knew what happened. Just to keep herself in reality, she kept one hand glued to Taranee's near the stick, and the other to the steering wheel. She wanted to be sure this was real. But the tears on her face told her this was. She didn't want anymore nightmares.

Just to be sure, she texted Peter and told him to meet her at their destination before she pulled out of her parking space. He didn't reply but was definitely on his way. Especially when she said Taranee was with her. Nothing else was needed to be said.

She could tell Taranee was taking it hard. Or wasn't taking it all. Theresa could barely believe it was her after all this time. She just showed up out of the blue wearing a baseball uniform in the body of a grown woman. Did Taranee play sports? She didn't have her glasses but her mother knew she could see well. Somehow.

Theresa made a mental note to get to know her daughter while they were asking questions and crying in the future.

She stopped the car at a stop light and stroked her thumb across the top of her daughter's hand to provide a soothing sensation. At least hopefully.

Still facing the window, Taranee whispered, "Mom?"

Theresa immediately replied, "Yes, what is it sweetheart?"

Taranee slowly turned around to look into her mother's eyes with tears in her own, full of emotion. "How... How did he go?"

Theresa sighed and started driving again. "Well... Heart Attack. Or Heart Break. I came home one day from work and... The paramedics were at the house. Maybe a week after you disappeared. He's been gone for fifteen years."

Taranee's face scrunched up a little before she let out a tiny sob. Theresa rubbed her hand a little while she cried it out. "...can we grab some candles? Please?"

"Of course, baby. Of course we can."

It took a few minutes, but Theresa's car soon arrived at their destination. A Church Graveyard near the bridge. Just looking at it was going to give Taranee her own heart attack. And according to the doctor on Hootakah, she was in excellent shape.

Another car was sitting by the entrance. It might be expensive. But Taranee was so out of tune of Earth technology that her hand was absentmindedly playing with the radio. Theresa was ignoring the constant button pressing. The volume was down anyway.

Taranee gripped the bag of fifteen stick candles she had placed in her lap when they rolled past that expensive car and parked in front of it. Then Theresa flipped the key and shut the engine down. She leaned her head back and sighed to the ceiling. Drowning in the silence. Here they were, once again. Except there was one more person who wanted to pay her respects. In the dark.

She looked to Taranee in the passenger seat eyeing the graveyard. They really should've done this tomorrow, but Taranee was fifteen years behind. Sending a sad gaze her way, Theresa whispered, "You ready?"

Taranee took a deep breath for a second. Then nodded her head and pushed the door open. The air was chilly. The cold wind bit at her clothed skin, but she ignored it and closed the door.

"TARANEE!" Taranee was immediately swept up into another hug by someone in a man's voice. Peter had just got off work and had spotted her when she rose up out of their mom's car. He was so anxious, he left the door open. But the girl in the back with him would make sure no one snuck in.

She was nearly his height now, just an inch or two shy. She looked a little different but those eyes reminded him of the little girl he used to protect under his wing. And Taranee knew the hold of her brother when she felt it.

Theresa merely watched from the other side of the car while brother and sister reunited. This was one of those moments where a camera was needed. Speaking of which, Taranee was out of a majority of their family photos. Reunions, cook outs, all of that. Lionel wasn't in them either, but there was more family to go around. Especially after Peter married that girl.

After a bunch of sniffling and crying for a few minutes, Taranee pulled back and finally looked Peter in the face. He looked much different than he did. As far back as she could remember. It's been quite some time since she's seen pictures of her family, let alone their faces. But she knows them when she sees them. Peter had a goatee but still kept those dreads. Being his adopted sister, Taranee didn't look much like him. Maybe one day, she'll get to see her real parents. But right now, her family was right here in front of her face.

Peter sighed and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Hey, sis," he greeted.

Taranee smiled and wiped her own eyes replying, "Hey, Pete. Is it true... Dad..."

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah... When you disappeared, it destroyed him. He wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep. Then when the police finally filed an APB with absolutely no success, it hurt his heart. Literally. I got the call when I was at college and... I was devastated, Tara. I'm sorry."

Taranee took a deep breath and whipped her head to face the area beyond the gates. Where all the gravestones lay. And where their owners rest. Peter followed her sight when Theresa walked around the car. Then looked back to Taranee and asked, "Wanna see him?"

She immediately nodded her head. He shouldn't even be here. But he was. With that, Theresa grabbed Taranee's hand and led her into the graveyard while Peter went back to the car to grab something. Or someone.

It was dark. But at least there were some overhead streetlights that were hurting her eyes. She was used to the fire and torch thing. Speaking of...

Theresa gasped and reminded herself, "Oh we forgot a lighter for the candles. Let me get the —"

"Wait. Mom." Taranee grabbed her hand and said, "I got this. I have a lighter." Theresa wasn't sure, but if Taranee smoked she was definitely going to make her stop. That could be dealt with on a later date though.

She nodded and continued leading Taranee to the grave plot. Their shoes were the only sounds moving along the ground. Taranee sighed and looked around at all the gravestones. It made her realize that you can fight all the bad guys you want. All the demons, the magical evils, the masters of mages. But you can't save everyone. Not even your family. The Guardian business was really risky. But it was definitely an honor she would never give up.

Theresa led them off the main road onto a hill of grass for a certain headstone. A certain gray headstone with dead flowers at the head. Coming here at night wasn't a good thing, but it certainly made her feel better to just talk to him. Smiling, Theresa greeted, "Hey sweetheart. Guess who decided to show up after all these years." She stopped at the headstone marked with the sunrise and sunset of her husband. Of Taranee and Peter's father. A great and loving man.

Taranee's face scrunched up before she took a strong and deep breath. Lionel Cook. He was right here. Right in front of her buried six feet under the ground. She was fifteen years too late. Better make it up to him.

Smiling, Taranee greeted, "Hey, Daddy. It's been a long time since we've seen each other. To be honest, I almost forgot what everyone looked like." Taranee kneeled down in front of the grave holding the candles in her lap. "Actually, I almost forgot everything. After we left Earth, we... My friends and I had been going through quite the party." Peter and Theresa shared a look of slight concern. Mostly because of Taranee's mental health. Left Earth? Maybe the lighter was for drugs!

Taranee grabbed a candle and placed it at certain points in the ground to outline the grave. "But I didn't just run away and... Did nothing. I discovered things about myself I'm happy to have learned. Like... I'm... I'm attracted to girls. I... Have a Girlfriend now—Wife. I have a wife."

Taranee lifted her right hand and held it out for her parents to see. Well one. It was a really really nice ring. Completely covered in gems with two different colored diamonds at the top. "Meridian has amazing Diamond caves. Just a small perk for what me, my friends, and my wife do. I guess I owe you an explanation first before I say anything else."

~TLO~

During dinner, Star was intensely gazed at by Dean, Susan, and William. All they needed was a really confused dog to tilt his head to the side. Will's plate was untouched while theirs were half finished. She was blinking her only visible eye, trying to get the bright light from the ceiling to tone down a little. Unfortunately, the circuitry in it was fixed. Even her powers could only hold it at a certain point, and it was hard focusing on that and eating at the same time. So she just decided to eat dinner later.

Everything was really quiet save for the scraping of forks. Until William just dropped his on the ceramic and yelled, "Okay! This is super awkward!" He pointed to Will and asked, "Why are you here?"

Susan gasped and scolded, "William!"

"You were thinking the same thing, mom. Why were the FBI chasing you... Will?"

Will blinked the light back and answered, "Well, I... Okay, I'm sorry about this by the way." Will reached out to the light switch way on the other side of the room and flicked her hand down. The light in the kitchen instantly cut off, shrouding them in darkness before the microwave door opened on the right side of the room. Providing a pleasant peaceful glow.

William had his face frozen in an expression like he just witnessed someone get hit by a truck. Susan and Dean no better. Will just nodded with a smile and stated, "That was a really bright light. We're just getting used to everything over here, so..."

William slowly shook his head and asked, "And where are you from again?"

"Earth."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Now! Story time. Or question time. Someone shoot." Will picked up her fork and picked at the greens.

Susan was the first to go. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick—Dean and I."

"Flying around. Meridian, Kandrakar, Hootakah, Basiliade, Merina, and others. But we lived on Meridian with our friend Elyon. Elyon Brown. Ring a bell?"

"...not really?" Susan whispered.

Will shrugged and stroked her hair. "Well she's a Queen and we live there now."

William rolled his eyes in a smart manner and growled, "Yeah that's great crazy woman, but you didn't answer my question. Why are you here? It's obvious you didn't come here to apologize to mom since you have yet to do it."

Susan was so happy Will had somehow gotten control of her Bipolar depression. Because if she didn't... She would have a hard time pulling adult Will off of him. Susan sighed and warned, "William, don't be rude."

Star sighed from across and leaned forward on the table by her elbows. "I wish I could argue, but... Mr. Wanna-Be-Tough is right. I didn't come here to apologize."

William turned to Dean with a hand held out to Will. "See?... Wait, what'd you call me?"

Susan picked at her food and stated, "Yeah, Melissa said this was a business trip of some sort. Question is, what business? What did you get involved in that had you... Rampaging through Heatherfield?"

Will guessed none of them had been updated on what happened in her life. So she decided to repeat the story. Wiping her hands, Will answered, "Well to understand, you have to know everything. I'll start from the very beginning. When mom and I moved here." William grumbled something but she ignored him. "When I first attended Sheffield, I was the lonely girl trying to make friends. I was thirteen and vulnerable to anything I guess. Hay-Lin invited me over to the Silver Dragon. So after school we went there, and then met Yan-Lin.

"She was old and started to tell us about super powers. And how an evil-infected world was poisoning other worlds. Well to keep those worlds away from danger of each other, a veil was created with protectors. People called Guardians. The ones with super powers Yan was talking about. She said that we were chosen to become the new Guardians, and we're granted with these abilities. There's five of them... Water, Fire, Earth, Air, and Quintessence."

Susan held up her hand and said, "So you were all given powers."

At Will's nod, Susan gestured for her to continue before William said something. He gestured to Will and asked, "How can you guys be so 'laxed about this?"

Dean answered, "Because we've seen this happen, please continue Will."

Will ignored William's glare and started speaking once more. "Irma's Water, Fire's Taranee, Air was Hay-Lin, and Earth was Cornelia. I was Quintessence. Life itself. As well as the Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar. Our jobs? Keep the veil secure and portals closed."

Susan stopped eating and repeated, "Wait, portals? Like the GU Portals?"

"Is that what they're called?" A notepad zipped into Star's hand from the living room. Along with a pen so she could jot down those notes. "But yeah, exactly like those but pure. When we were thirteen, we were at war with a guy named Phobos who wanted to take over the world of Meridian. He killed his own parents, and tried to do the same to his sister once he had her power. But she was safely evacuated here to Earth. Elyon Brown. Look her up, she's not on Earth. And classified as an unsolved case."

William decided to test that and pulled out his phone. He wasn't believing any of this crazy-sister crap but decided to humor himself while she talked. "While he reigned, his evil weakened the veil and poked holes in it. Unauthorized ones. And the veil is what keeps the worlds separated and stable. They're actually dimensions though.

"Things were coming through and spreading disaster. Our job was to defeat him, close those and defeat the evil that came through. I don't know if you two remember this, it's a really old report. But around seventeen years ago, town hall was 'vandalized.' Like badly. Somehow the ground broke and was spraying water all over the place, the Mayor's office was totaled."

Dean stroked his beard and answered, "It actually sounds really familiar."

Will swallowed the food she put in her mouth while William was making a disbelieving face on the side at his phone. What she said about the Elyon Brown case was right. A girl and her entire family had disappeared. The parents were undocumented, but she was. They found her once, but she disappeared soon after once again. They never found her after. It made national news and went down as a really unsuccessful case. Not even a lead.

Will said, "Yeah well this big snake guy was looking for the true ruler of Meridian. To eat her. Well we fought at Town Hall and trashed the place. Anyway, we did eventually stop Phobos and his evil from coming through, and managed to secure Elyon back on the throne at age fourteen. But the damage had been done. The veil was weak. So after another disaster that involved an older Guardian named Nerissa, we calmed down and were placed on standby."

Susan waved her hands in front of her face and interrupted, "Wait, so you were thirteen and fighting... Monsters?! Like the military?"

Will smiled and added, "That wanted to kill us and eat us? Yep. And we still do. Lord Phobos was eaten alive and Nerissa is dead. Then we settled down until... The battle came to home. On my sixteenth birthday our powers switched. But not everyone's. Just me and Hay's. It was... Just like Fadden. So... I got upset and never talked about it. I couldn't talk to my number one supporter about it—" She gestured to Susan. "—because no one on Earth is supposed to know about the Guardians."

William smirked and teased, "You got jealous? How childish."

"Yep. And it got deadly. So deadly in fact that it broke into a fight of the Guardians. We fought two or three days later. I almost killed Taranee, and got lightning thrown at my face. Why do you think the right side of my face is covered up?"

Now that she mentioned it, William noticed she hadn't moved that thick mop of red hair covering her right eye. Susan smiled and said, "You had gotten Amnesia... Was that real?"

"It was. Then I met innocent Melissa. She moved in across the street, we became friends, and then Girlfriends. After I betrayed the Guardians I had my powers revoked and memories stolen or muddled, giving me amnesia. To save time, they erased four years of my life I never would have gotten back... If it weren't for this."

The Remnant of Quintessence shimmered into sight around Will's neck, as clean as the day she found it. Golden, choker size, and glowing red. Their eyes trained on it while she explained. "This is a remnant. Turns out the powers of the Guardians is only a smidgen of the true magnitude, which is way too much for a single person. The woman who granted us with these powers realized that if she gave all the full capacity to a single person, they'd go insane and probably die. So she stashed and hid them.

"The main one is Quintessence. And this was on Earth. Melissa and I found it on the beach and she gave it to me as a present. That same day, I got my memories back. I remembered everything Kandrakar did to me. And they were never going to make it right. So with my newfound strength and anger backing me up, I struck. Hard. And fast.

"Longer story short, I found all the remnants and attempted to take down Kandrakar by ripping apart the veil and... Killing everyone. Including myself."

William nonchalantly shook his head and started, "Yeah, you're crazy."

"One more chance, William. Melissa got me down, the FBI and Interpol got involved, then we ran away for our safety. If we were arrested, the same ones who saved the day would be the same ones never seen again. End of history. Now back to the Present: Why am I here? Why are we back? We're living it pretty good on Meridian. A lot of training was done by arresting nearly five hundred people trying to take control of the veil. And destroying it."

Dean shook his head and asked, "Why?"

"If you take control of the veil, you can rule all the dimensions because you have access. The Guardians and myself have authorization to use these veils. Those that do but are not authorized are searched for by us and taken down by Kandrakar Law. If we didn't exist, everyone would be in very big trouble right now. Because the veil is what is keeping these planets apart and safe. Pop quiz, William. If a planet's mass index is great, what happens?"

William glanced around awkwardly while his parents and Will waited for him to answer. "Er... It has a stronger gravitational pull."

"Correct. When I was evil, I tried to destroy the veil by simply creating rifts in the air. Not only does the veil serve as a gateway to other worlds, it also serves as a protective barrier in a way. The veil keeps dimensions stable and apart. Like the cute baby of two feuding families. You're lucky she's around. If not, everyone would literally clash. The planets would collide and crash into each other. This thing you can't see is keeping you safe. And the Guardians and myself are keeping it safe."

Will's voice turned grave. "But it's in danger. As of yesterday, a portal was spotted on Metamoor that leads here. To Earth. Which means someone on Earth managed to open portals. And from what we see are shamelessly monetizing them. They are selling the only thing that is keeping them safe from an irreparable and an uncomprehensible disaster for money. So the Guardians have been called in to shut them down and take the creator to justice. "


	37. Flying Spies

**Flying Spies**

At the Graveyard, Taranee was almost finished with her own story for her father. Those behind her were listening in too, mainly because it was definitely something to learn. Taranee sighed and stood up while she wrapped it up. "Someone here is committing a very dangerous crime for money. They have no idea how dangerous it really is. We think they may have gotten the idea from us and Star. But are using it for a dumb reason. Money. Starting tomorrow, we're starting the process of shutting them down. Which is why I'm here."

Taranee sighed and bent low to the candles. Then snapped her finger and created a small dancing flame on the tip of her index. She lit the wickers and stood back up to whisper, "None of you realize it... But we've been protecting you all these years. We're not stopping now."

Cornelia, Irma, and Star were saying the same thing. In the Vandom house, William wiped his mouth and asked, "Let me get this straight. You guys came back to destroy an innovative technology that will make life easier?"

"Innovative technology? This 'technology' will kill you! They have no idea what they're doing!"

"Yes they do, they've been working on this for years!"

"And that is why this must come to an end. Starting tomorrow, it's going down. Rule Number One for portals? Never, ever leave them open. You'll see why tomorrow. If there are too many open the veil will collapse. It's already really fragile. It's like poking holes in a weak wet towel. Too many will result in it falling apart. Like wet tissue paper. Then all the worlds will collide straight into you."

William just went back to eating his cold food. But shook his head and denied, "You don't know what you're talking about."

Will just ignored him and said, "Now that we have a project name, we can finally do some research on the creator."

Susan sighed and stated, "Star... Are you sure that is what is happening right now?"

"Absolutely. I've seen this so many times before in my field of work. These guys are trying to bring the future of travel in the form of technology that was more than likely stolen. We're putting a stop to it."

William shook his head and raised his phone. "No you're not. If you're planning anything, I'll call the police. Based off what you told me, you have no idea how to use these. They're called 'Cell Phones.' You can make phone calls on these. I'm not letting you stop this."

Susan groaned and covered her eyes. Will just got back and William's already planning sibling rivalry. It was obvious he didn't trust Will for some odd reason. He was probably really excited about the GU Portals and didn't want them to be taken from him. It was an opportunity of a lifetime. And he wasn't missing it.

Star rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, okay. Thing is I don't need one. Because unlike you-" The phone zipped out of his hands into Will's. "I have powers. William, I'm trying to save your life here."

"No you're not, you just walked into it. And trying dismantle it."

"How am I dismantling it and I just got here?"

"Well I don't need you here and neither does mom or dad!"

Will growled, "Well I don't want to be here either but it's my job. So deal with it. Grow up. Wake up, I don't care. Freaking adjust."

Susan stood up and slammed her hands on the table. "Stop it! Both of you!" William and Will stopped arguing and looked to her. "William you have been acting like a bigot this whole day and Will just got here. And you just learned about her! Barely really! Why do you already not like her?"

He jabbed an accusing finger at her and bellowed, "I don't trust her! She just admitted to fighting her friends and nearly killing someone! And tried to kill everyone else! Then she shows up talking about veils and portals, super powers, she's crazy! She's a witch and a tyrant, and she doesn't need to be here!"

There goes that word once again. Tyrant. Star wiped her mouth and stood up. Then started making her way to the door. Susan sighed and followed after her. "Will, wait."

Will gripped the door knob and shook her head. "No, he said what he had to say. I'm a witch now apparently and still a tyrant so..." Star tossed the phone onto a couch in the living room. Then opened the door, walked out into the night and closed it back.

Susan sighed and turned to face William. Obviously irked. "You didn't even give her a chance William. What did I tell you earlier? To give her a chance."

"But... Mom, she-"

"I know what she did, I was there!" Susan yelled. "She's my daughter, and whether you like it or not she's your sister! And you are going to treat her like a sister! So until then no phone, no tv, no soccer! And you are definitely going to apologize to Will!"

"What?!" William shouted. Susan walked over to where Will tossed his phone and took it in her own hand. "Mom, that's not fair! Dad—"

Dean raised his hand when his son turned to him. "And it was fair for you to call Will a witch and a tyrant? You better start practicing those apologies. Go up to your room."

~TLO~

Star couldn't believe it. After all this time... She wasn't a witch. And she knew she wasn't. Yet those words still hurt. So Star went to the only person she knew would understand. Creating a rift, Star walked through and into the home of the Cordeaus. A little surprised at what she saw.

Melissa was floating things around with her powers in some cute blue pajamas. More than likely from her mother. Just random stuff. Her parents were nowhere to be seen right now but they were around somewhere. Star walked over to behind Melissa and smiled. Then playfully slapped her butt.

Melissa yelped and whirled around. But didn't drop her stuff. She had gotten way better at levitation. A lot more than a decade ago. Recognizing her attacker, Melissa smiled and greeted, "Hey, redhead. Why are you here?"

"What? I can't stay with my wife?"

"Never said that." Melissa started the process of setting everything back into place while Star wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "I just thought you would have been across the street. With your family."

Will dropped her face into Melissa's cleavage. "William already hates me."

"No he doesn't."

"He called me a witch and a tyrant."

"Okay, maybe just a little." After the last item was place in its previous location Melissa grabbed Star's hands. "What happened?"

Star sighed and lifted her head to tell her the whole story. About how she told her family everything from the very beginning of her own Guardianship and how William was rude and disrespectful pretty much the whole time. Her parents were obviously trying to understand it, but William was really cynical.

Melissa led Star over to the couch and listened the entire time. And once she finished assumed, "So William obviously doesn't want us to stop these guys. Whoever they are."

Star sighed and leaned back into the couch with a shake of her head. "Nope. He might become a problem. I didn't say that I was the one who started that fire. That would not have worked out well. I think he just wants to travel and go all over the place. He's not looking at the true magnitude of the situation. I'll know in the morning. We have to round the girls up, we can't be separated. We're much stronger as a team than alone. Even two of us together are way stronger than one. Not to mention, we're literally sleeping in enemy territory. We've never done this before. Especially alone. That's risky."

Melissa sighed and leaned into Star's left shoulder. Eyes on the blank TV with thoughts flying through her mind. "Lights hurt my eyes," she muttered.

Star chuckled and stroked her hair. "Yeah... Me too. I'll ping the girls." Opening their mental connection, Star pinged, "Guardians, what's your status?"

Irma immediately responded, "Trying to get some sleep in, what's going on?"

"Try not to sleep too long. We need to stick together. My brother might be an enemy. I told my parents the situation as well as the whole story and he called me a witch and a Tyrant."

"Yeesh. How're you feeling? What's the plan?"

"I've been called a Tyrant before, a Witch is a new low. Meet up at the mall at twelve. I'll ping you guys to remind you at that time. I don't think I'm going to get a lot of sleep tonight."

Melissa chimed in and stated, "Yeah, that's a lie. She's going to snore. I'll ping everyone a reminder." After a flick to the nipple, Melissa asked, "Where's Hay-Lin?"

"I'm here, I'm here," Hay-Lin pinged in. "I just got back, Elyon's in. What's the status?" Downtown, Hay-Lin walked out onto the dark roof of a nightclub currently in the midst of a Saturday night party. The light shined upwards, basking her in a glow while she observed the dancing. She could only watch, not dance. Music sounded strange now compared to Meridian.

"My brother may become a mole in the future," Star pinged. "We have to watch out for him and anyone else he may socialize with. Including Lillian. Be on your toes, Cornelia. We're meeting up at the woods at two in the morning. I got a name. The portals were branded as GU Portals. And based off the kiosk at the mall, they're sponsored by a ring of labs and computer companies, including... TechCom."

"Interesting... Taranee? How you doin'?"

Hay-Lin and the rest of the girls listened in for a response. When they got none, Star and Melissa stood up just like Cornelia and Hay-Lin, prepared to fly out in a search when she finally did. "My father's gone, girls."

"...Dammit," Star muttered. She and Melissa shared a sad look with the same thought. Taranee got the worse end of the straw. They knew that after fifteen years a lot of things would have been different. Including possible deaths. They knew that one of them was not going to be happy with what they found out. They could barely hear Taranee at her statement.

Sitting on the couch in her home's living room, Taranee simply stared at the pictures sitting on the bookshelf nearby. Her mother was sleeping on the other couch next to her just to be close to her daughter. So much has changed.

Peter had a wife, and a daughter named Tara. Her old childhood nickname he himself gave her. His wife was sleeping back at the house and said that she would meet her tomorrow. When they would finally get some answers concerning what she told her father's grave. Taranee shook her head and pinged, "He... Died from a heart attack a week after we left."

Star silently cursed and replied, "I'm sorry, Taranee."

Taranee silently picked up a photograph of their family when they were much younger. Taranee was wearing a yellow dress with a purple belt, and donned with round glasses. "...I promised him that I would keep our family safe. And the dimension. The sooner this gets done, the better."

"So we should start planning tonight then," Hay-Lin assumed. She lifted the Heart and pinged, "Guardians, Unite. Everyone meet up at the mall by ten. We're checking out these portals. Up close and personal."

Star smirked over at Melissa who in turn smirked back before she joined in the Guardians' light show. They were doing the one thing they did best: Spying.

~TLO~

It was definitely fall. The clear skies were filled with stars, the wind was kicking, and the cool air pinched at Star and Melissa's body as they flew towards the mall. They could see Cornelia up ahead. Like a green and and blonde spire waving in the wind. Before they left their homes, they all left a note in the form of an upside-down folded card they had gotten their hands on. Letting their families know they had went out for a few hours and would be back by the morning. They'd come up with a location later.

Cornelia joined them once they flew past and asked, "So what are we going to spy on first?"

Star shook her head and answered, "We just need some information. We have a name for the portals. GU. Maybe it stands for something else, but we won't know unless we get inside that mall." She motioned with her head towards the mall Hay-Lin, Irma, and Taranee were speaking on the roof of. Hopefully out of sight.

Melissa was the first to land and walk over to them with Star and Cornelia. Straight for Taranee. Melissa pulled her into a hug first and cooed, "Are you okay?"

Taranee hugged her back and answered, "Yeah, I'll be fine. No more hugs, let's get this done. I have a feeling either my mom or brother will wake up."

Star nodded and focused on Hay-Lin when she pointed down into the sunroof of the mall, focusing their sights on the dark and lifeless ground floors inside. There weren't even any security guards. That they could see. Hay-Lin kneeled down and stated, "A bit of information is in that mall. According to the speakers at the events, they said you can get more information about these portals from here. Apparently this is their homebase."

Cornelia pointed through the glass and asked, "More like their homestore. Look." The Guardians and Star followed her finger to a large white store in the mall that held two floors. And a logo reading GU LABS. It had a white front and looked really fancy. Just like that popular cell phone shop Star saw when she was here hours earlier. Speaking of which, the area that caught on fire was completely roped off. This whole mall might be tomorrow.

Taranee kneeled down and observed the area in front of it. She nodded and said, "The GU Portal's back up and running. Didn't you say you closed it, Star?"

Star nodded and answered, "I shot a lightning bolt at it and shrunk down like a raisin in the sun. Which means..."

"They're able to open and close it. We need information. Now. Let's get in there. Star, rift us in."

Star straightened up and slashed through the air, creating a red rift in front of them and on the floor directly below. Hay-Lin literally rolled in first and stood up in a fighting position with glowing hands. Then the other girls followed after with their own stance.

Star closed the window and observed the area around her. Besides the hum of still running electronics, all was quiet. A majority of the lights were off and the air was clear. So they all straightened up and relaxed.

Hay-Lin sighed and started the move on quiet feet for the stark white store across from them while keeping a close eye out. "Everything's quiet," she pinged.

Star turned around and walked backwards with them to keep an eye there. "Yeah. It's a little creepy. You would have thought there would be some extra security guards, but not a thing. What are we looking for, Hay?"

Hay-Lin ducked low and kept out of sight from anyone below the bridge they were crossing on with the others following. "Information. This store is more than likely their main outlet. Their headquarters is somewhere else. We can find all that out from here."

Once the Guardians reached the edge of the bridge they darted to the other side and took their places on either side of the store's doors.

Star and Melissa looked around to keep an eye out while Hay-Lin and Taranee scanned the inside through the windows. "There are definitely cameras in there. We don't need another FBI repeat."

Star smirked and whispered, "I figured something like that. So... I learned this trick when we were fighting those bugs on Hootakah." Will slipped her hands together into a praying formation and started forming something glowing red in between her palms.

While she did what she did, Melissa peeked over the edge and eyed the floor. "Guard." She whipped her head to Cornelia next to her and eyed the flashlight being waved down below. "Guard's down below."

"Done," Star whispered. In her hands was a quivering ball of Quintessence lightly shooting out sparks. "It disrupts the transfer of electricity and data. It gives off some powerful waves and wipes it out. But it only lasts fifteen minutes."

Hay-Lin eyed it and asked, "Does it work?" Just then, the power in the building went out. As well as the flashlight the Guard was holding. "I guess that answers my question. Let's get in." Star sliced open a rift and stepped in with the others to come out on the other side of the doors. Inside GU. Then closed it back.

The inside smelled like a bunch of new products. Like the car Taranee rode in earlier with her mother. The plastic flooring was clean under their footwear as they moved. White two stacked shelves lined the floor leading up to the register stacked with small products. Down a little ways were two pairs of glass stairs. On the walls were GU's logo along with plastic containers holding pamphlets. With the portal on the front. In the middle right in front of the stairs was a small display case was a smaller version of the portals in a mock-up of a very busy park. Trees, cars, tall buildings, people. But everyone were focused on the portals.

While the Guardians scouted the store out, Star walked over to the pamphlets next to the stairs and grabbed one. "Hay. Pamphlet." She flipped it open while Hay-Lin approached from behind. Right in front of her face, another GU Portal.

Hay-Lin pointed at the logo on the top and read aloud, "'GU LABS. A TechCom Company.' Guess we know that much."

Star nodded and pointed to an area reading, "GU LABS was created years ago as a TechCom branch-off. Nineteen eighty-six. Around the time those Guardians disappeared."

"Whoa, what?" Hay-Lin looked up to her from the pamphlet and repeated, "Disappeared? What are you talking about?"

Star shut the pamphlet and handed it to Hay-Lin. "When we first left, I snagged a folder from the FBI. Remember?"

Cornelia picked up a box from a nearby shelf behind them for an "SSD" and commented, "If you did, that was fifteen years ago. Refresh our memory."

"The folder contained research about other Guardians. Turns out the FBI actually got their hands on them. They were never seen again. I read it some more and it said something about a Miracle Project that they were admitted to. I don't know what that is. It was classified and not in the folder. But I came to the conclusion that they were experimented on, or with. This might be the reason why."

Hay-Lin sighed and slapped the Pamphlet against her palm multiple times while an expression of thinking graced her face. After a moment of thinking, she whispered, "So GU might have a hand in it. This means they got their hands on something they're not supposed to have. Racking up charges."

Taranee crossed her arms and walked behind the desk. "Yeah, but what was that? Office."

Melissa placed the device back on the shelf she was holding and followed after her to a hallway leading to the back. They passed a bathroom on the way, and an asset room to a single wooden door at the end. Taranee stopped and jiggled the handle. Locked. Of course. Melissa pressed her hand against the crack between the door and doorway. Then grabbed the handle and pulled it open while Taranee created a ball of fire for light.

The office was really basic and small. Maybe twenty people could fit in here. Pictures of GU lined the walls. Tech geeks, mottos, and others. Two file cabinets lined either side of the simple glass desk while a stack of papers sat on top. Alongside a computer.

Taranee approached it and pinged, "Desk, papers, and a computer. A lot of information in here."

Star nodded and replied, "I'll watch our backs." The other Guardians made their way back there while Star cloaked her body. Melissa was already going through the documents in the chair behind the desk when they walked in. Bland and boring. Sort of.

Without taking her eyes off, Melissa shook her head and reported, "Monthly reports, employee statements, nothing suspicious really."

Irma requested, "Any letters? Those hold a lot of information."

While the girls were browsing, Star walked down the quiet stairs and into another side of GU. Things in here were a lot more technical. Computers, phones, and other things Star couldn't remember. The customer service down here was much bigger than upstairs too. "There's another service desk down here," she relayed.

Irma replied, "On my way." Then urgently made her way out while they continued scanning. When she arrived, Star was at the glass entry doors checking out anything that may pose a threat. Phones, cards, pens, computers. Two rows of drawers creating six. But one of them caught her eye.

Through the keyhole, something was glowing on the inside. Something neon purple. Irma urgently pinged, "Girls, I found something, get down here."

Star looked over her shoulder, but didn't make any moves to go. She'd let the Guardians look it over. Melissa was the first one down and beside Irma. Gazing at the glowing keyhole. "What is that?"

Irma shook her head and answered, "Not sure. Can we get it open?"

"Yeah. Step back." When the rest joined them, Melissa placed her hand on the keyhole. This one was a lot different than a door and required a bit of force. The drawer shot out, making a bit of noise. Not too much for worry, but still noise.

The purple glow reached up to their faces and bathed them in light. The source that caught their eyes inside was a strange device like a steel gun. But the barrel looked to made for insertion into something, like a long needle. On top of it was a container of purple. The true source.

Hay-Lin carefully reached in and picked it up to hold in both hands. It was a little heavy and held some noticeable usage if these scratches were a clue. Cornelia grabbed it and said, "They may have created the portal with this."

Melissa closed the drawer back and asked, "Yeah, but what is it?"

Hay-Lin shook her head and answered, "No clue. Let's get this analyzed." She grabbed the Heart of Kandrakar and created their own genuine portal. One created from the same natural energy the veil was built upon and walked through with the girls.

Before Star did, she cast one final look over her shoulder and eyed the dark store, brightened only by the lights coming from outside. Still silent. They were never here. With the pamphlet in hand, Star finally walked through the portal. Then it shrunk and disappeared. The Guardians had what they needed. Information and evidence. Then they were never here once more.


	38. Plan Or Plotting

**Plan Or Plotting**

Before Will and Melissa headed home, Melissa suggested they grab a newspaper. More like _papers_. Star's right arm cradled four rolls of newspapers, all different dates. They were easy to find. All you had to do was drop into a neighbor's yard, grab it, then fly off again.

High above Heatherfield, the breeze blew Star's hair out from in front of her face while she held Melissa in her arms. From the ground, the neon glowing Remnants made her body out to be a drone. Or an outerworld object. Her mind was running, thoughts chaotic with information. GU LABS was owned by TechCom. But that made no sense, TechCom was a communications company. From what she could see, they made their own electronics and provided the cellular data. They're the developers and carriers.

Unless they were owned by someone else too in a partnership. Star wrote on a note in her mind to do more research on TechCom. She was missing something.

"We need tools." Star looked down to Melissa at her declaration. She must've been thinking too. "We're going up against pros now. We need our tools. This might be much bigger than we think."

"It is." Star slowed her speed and tilted her body to land in front of Melissa's home. Right in the driveway next to their car. Once they were on concrete, Star deformed back into Will Vandom and stated, "The stakes are much higher now. The guys we took down before were beginners and still trying to organize themselves in the dark. This guy has already organized everything, has the support and attention of the entire city, country, maybe even the world. And no one here knows about the Guardians. They will tomorrow. They're doing a live demo for promo purposes that's streaming through TV that we're going to take advantage of."

Melissa crossed her arms and asked, "Will she be protected?"

"Of course. I'm going up there with her. And before you tell me no, I'm wearing my armor."

Melissa's frown flipped to an amused smile. "Don't scare them too much. And you know what... If the Government doesn't shut them down because GU allowed 'Aliens' to set foot on their land, then they are guilty too. They're in on this."

"Definitely. Now according to Queen Elyon, the GU Portals have been appearing near the square of Meridian. We should be able to see it and walk through."

Melissa walked closer and softly grabbed Will's hands to bring up in between them. "How do you know if it's going to be on Meridian? These guys know nothing about the veil. They're routing through Earth."

"They have to boot through the Veil first. Then they loop around and reconnect to Earth in time. Meridian is their hotspot. Same protocol and code. We'll catch it while it's warming up. Even though they can force their way through, they still clearly have trouble pinpointing where they go for a few seconds. According to the pamphlet I grabbed, they're programmed to grab onto another portal they have setup. I'll create my own portal on that side and lock them together so I can hack in. Then proceed with the message. They won't wiggle free."

"Their confusion is going to make you laugh, isn't it?" Melissa deadpanned.

Will kissed Melissa's hands like a feather and answered, "Just a little. Depends on how freaked out they get. If you get a chance, let Taranee know that we need some cuffs and slingers. She's the best at making them."

Melissa smiled and pecked Will on the lips. "Okay. Don't hurt your brother, he's still a minor."

Like she'd hurt that little knucklehead. Will let Melissa's hands go and created a rift behind her. "Wouldn't dream of it. Love you, 'Lissa."

"Love you too, Wilhelmina." After the rift for the Vandom's closed with star on the other side, Melissa smiled at the house across the street. Her warm breath created a fog in the air, light brown eyes peering to the house across the street. God how she loved that woman. She may have a hidden dark side, but Will was the most loving caring person in her world.

Melissa raised her right wrist and eyed the two glowing bands of Quintessence for portal travelling. She needed to get home for a moment and grab some photos. Her own mother would like to see them.

* * *

When Will stepped out of the rift back into the living room, she stepped into silence and peace. The lights in the living room and kitchen were off, leaving the street lamps pouring through the curtains as the only source of light. Along with the remnants on her wrists and ankles.

Star sighed and walked across wooden floors to the couches. She tossed the newspapers on the center one first, then added herself to the mix with her tired eyes trained on the dining table in the middle of all three couches. Her face slowly met her hands in stress and thoughts. Then slowly slid back to push her hair out of the way to the back of her head. Fully revealing her burn. No one was down here, so it was fine.

Using air, she gently picked up the notepad in the kitchen from an hour and some earlier. Along with the pen. It wasn't going to be possible to get sleep tonight. So she may as well start on the investigation.

While Star worked, the Guardians all did their own things that involved thinking and reflection. Cornelia was in her old room eyeing everything she left behind with Napoleon sleeping on her old bed. Her clothes, magazines. Books. Really old cell phone. Her lifeline when she was a teenager. She knew how to survive in the wild, who needs a cell phone.

Irma was in between her sleeping mother and father on the couch. The TV was on but none of them were watching it. Chris wasn't home when she got here. But her sobbing mother told her that he would definitely be surprised when he returned from that late night school thing happening. Irma could wait.

Her mind moved her sights to the open windows, training her eyes on the moon. Along with Taranee, Cornelia, and Melissa. Thinking of the future. An uncertain challenging future. But one thing was for certain. They were never alone. They would never break. And they would never part.

~TLO~

When the sun rose and set on Earth, the same were for all dimensions. The morning dew coated the cars parked in the driveways of Earth. The large tree in the Cook's backyard tweeted from birds engaging in their daily early morning choir. The rising orange sun peeked over the Horizon, basking Taranee's form at the foot of the tree in orange. As well as the tools she had created resting at her feet.

Fifteen slingers and fifteen cuffs. Slingers were a Meridian invention of weaponry that when thrown wrapped their target quick and hard in rope, vines, whichever was strong enough. Disabling movement.

Since all her clothes here were way too small, Hay-Lin dropped by much earlier outside her window with the clothes from their own house. Not to mention some flowers while she mourned her father's death. One of those flowers she had tucked behind her ear. A large Fire Dandelion. Instead of white and yellow, it was orange with large red petals. Matching the sun perfectly. Her outfit was... Scandalous in a sort of way.

A green smooth thigh high skirt made out of long thin grass with real flowers sewn in. A thin leaf top that stopped above her midriff made out of all types of leaves. And... No bra. Her mother was going to have a heart attack.

But this was her life now. These clothes were light, but very secure. Perfect for running and jumping. Of course being naked under it wasn't necessarily a good thing, but there was no underwear on Meridian. You used what you had. And it was a lot more comfortable than here on Earth, if she were to be honest with herself.

Taranee kneeled down and picked up a specific Slinger to stare at in the sunlight. The rock at the end was slipping. She had to re-tie it. While she did that, her ear picked up the back door opening behind her. "Good morning, Taranee."

Mom. Always the first one up. Taranee gazed over her shoulder and smiled at her mother approaching in a baby blue pajama set. Her hair was smoothed out but not brushed. "Good morning, mom," she replied. "Are you okay?"

Theresa sighed and sat down next to her on the grass. But kept her kind dark blue eyes on her daughter. She wrapped an arm around Taranee's shoulder and pulled her in to gently kiss her cheek. "I am now. How long have you been up?"

Taranee directed her mother's sights with an upward nod to the lines of strange items in front of her. "I've been working on a few things. We're going to need these."

Theresa adjusted her body into a more comfortable position and eyed the cords. "So uhh... About last night. I wanted to talk to you concerning—What are you wearing?"

Taranee peeled her eyes away from her weapons and followed her mother's unsure eyes to her crop top. "Uhh... Clothes?"

Theresa sighed unamused and asked, "Taranee... Where did you live before?"

It wasn't much of a secret that Taranee and her friends were involved in something unnatural. Something not normal. Her mother only saw it once. And that was for less than a minute before they jumped through that red rip in reality. And were never seen again. So it didn't phase her when Taranee boldly answered, "On Meridian."

"Meri... M-M-Meri-what?" Okay maybe a little bit.

Taranee tenderly patted her hand and sighed. "I'll explain everything at breakfast. Besides Dad's... What else did I miss?" It was still hard to talk about. Even if she was ten years ago.

Theresa smiled and stood back up. "Well your brother got a wife. A nice girl. Then they had a daughter that he named after you. You'll see them all at breakfast. Are you coming inside? They'll be here in a little while."

"Later. I still have to finish these."

"Okay." Theresa leaned down and kissed Taranee's forehead. Then began the walk back to the patio doors.

Once it shut, Taranee sighed and said, "You really shouldn't hide on the top of homes. There are no flat roof homes around here, you'd be seen."

Melissa dropped down next to the patio doors out of sight with a vanilla folder in her left hand. Dressed up like the teenager she still appeared to be. Well not really. Just like Taranee, a crop top and skirt. Although, not of Meridian. She was more than likely wearing her old clothes they left here when they left.

Melissa walked towards her with a smile stretched across her face and stated, "I could always turn invisible. How are you doing?"

Taranee held up a slinger for Melissa to grab and check out while she answered. "I'm... Dealing."

"I'm really sorry about your father. Pord Lartsa." An Astral Drop of Melissa stood next to the tree she and Taranee were in front of. The real Melissa raised the slinger above and twirled it like chopper blades. Then brought her arm down and threw it. It quickly wrapped around the fake one and locked her arms to her side.

Taranee sighed and just went back to work. "Don't take this personal, but... I'm upset with Will."

Melissa approached the Astral Drop and asked, "Why?"

"If it weren't for her, my father would still be alive. The FBI wouldn't have chased us like they did. We would have graduated high school... Will ruined our lives here, Melissa."

Melissa walked back over and sat down next to Taranee. "I'm sorry about this, T."

"Sorry isn't going to bring my father back." Taranee dropped the slinger and turned to face Melissa in anger. "It's not going to bring my father back, it's not going to make Lillian younger again so Cornelia can actually be there. It's not going to make Chris younger or make Irma's mom normal again. And it won't bring Hay's parents back. Mom said they moved. Out of State. Heatherfield held bad memories."

"Taranee..." Melissa grabbed Taranee's hand softly with care and affection. Then gazed into her eyes. "I'm very sorry about what happened to your father. But we can't blame Will repeatedly as the root to our situations."

Taranee slammed the slinger on the ground and said, "The hell I can't! She is literally the reason we had to leave! We left our families behind-we left everything behind! And it's not because we were Guardians but because Will just had to get angry and expose it! With no care! She blew fire into the streets of Heatherfield and nearly destroyed it!"

"Taranee—"

"She hurt everyone's future! And thinks she can make up for it by doing community service and going on an apology tour. I'd rather she be behind bars."

Melissa sternly ordered, "Stop, Taranee. We were all mad at Will. But she obviously made an effort to correct her wrongs and her jail time was waved. Do you really think any of that will bring your father back?"

"Of course not. It won't bring back him or time. It won't get the FBI off our asses, and it won't get rid of those portals that these people are creating. But because of Will they are. Because of her everything is wrong. She is the root to these issues. That's why I don't want to work with her. I'll do my own thing. Everyone else is mad too. We missed so much of our lives here because of her. I'm not surprised her mother—"

"Don't. Say. It," Melissa growled in anger. Taranee sighed and picked up a cuff. Avoiding her glare. "Stop blaming Will for your father's death, T. Stop blaming her for everything. It's not right, and it's definitely not fair. Will has been doing what she can to make up for it. It's not like she asked to get her mind erased. Or have Bipolar Depression. You're blaming her for things out of her control. Your father's heart couldn't take it when you left. That's not Will's fault. It just happened.

"It's not Will's fault our relatives grew up while we were hiding for our protection. It comes with time. Just be happy they did grow up and not go down. That when we did come back they were still here. Yes, it hurt seeing them like this, but be happy we can. And they're not dead."

Taranee sighed and grabbed Melissa's hands. "I know—"

Melissa withdrew her hands from Taranee's grasp. "No, you don't. None of you do. Because apparently you're all blaming Will for what happened fifteen years ago. But do I have to remind you of who threw lightning at her and wounded her for life with a blind eye and third degree burn, and erased the memories of all of that? And more? Pushing the evidence under the carpet? You were all guilty. Not just Will."

Melissa leaned down into her face and yelled, "Will can't see in one eye! Her face is burned! She's bipolar! But to this day fifteen years later is still trying to make up for what she did to make it right! And all of you are seriously blaming her because time moved on?!"

"Melissa, listen—"

Melissa poked a finger into her chest and interrupted, "No, you listen. All of you listen. Stop blaming Will for the shit you walked into and deal with it. Life happens. People die, time moves on. And with time so does knowledge. People forget about you, learn new things, move to escape their horrible past. It. Is. Life. Deal with it. We're not here for a reunion. We're here to figure out these portal openings and take down the creator. So let's get back to work and stop blaming my wife for whatever this shit is your wallowing in. Everyone had a hand in what happened. Let's stop blaming one person for all of it and fix it together so no one else gets hurt."

After straightening up, Melissa turned around and walked away while Taranee sighed and covered her face. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Melissa was right. This was just how things were. Coming back with the thought that things were going to be the same was foolish. After everything that happened, why would it be?

And their mission was to make sure that it would never happen again. Yes, it was nice to find and hug it out with the family you haven't seen in years, but there was no telling how much time they had. They had to get started.

But it could wait for maybe an hour. She was hungry. After a few minutes Taranee pinged, "Cuffs and Slingers are in the backyard. Be quick." Then stood up and smoothed her skirt.

"Hi!" Taranee jumped and whirled around to face the slow feminine voice in her ear. A Caucasian woman with light blue eyes and long brunette hair in a casual sweater and blue jeans had walked up unheard. A slim figure for a body and a kind smile on her face. "You must be Peter's sister. Right?"

Leaning back, Taranee slowly nodded and answered, "Yes, I'm Taranee. And you are..."

"I'm Matira. I'm Peter's wife." She raised an eager hand that Taranee gripped and shook. Hard. Trying to hide a grimace she commented, "Whew! You uhh... Have quite the grip there."

Taranee smirked and let go. "Sorry, I work out a lot."

"I'll say. Would you like some breakfast? That's an interesting outfit you're wearing."

Taranee started the trek back into the house and stated, "Yeah these are the types of clothes I like. They allow me to move faster." She added under her breath, "And I literally have nothing else to wear."

When they reached the concrete and glass doors to the patio, Taranee slid one of them to the side and stepped her bare feet back onto their carpeted floors. The high living room ceiling made the home out to be a lodge. With a nice large living room with comfy couches and a fifty-five inch flat screen on the left playing cartoons for Tara. Ahead was the kitchen holding Taranee's mother and brother setting the table.

Peter was wearing a pair of blue cargo shorts and a sleeveless shirt with a football on the front. His hands were holding plates of-what smelled like eggs and... Something else.

Once the glass door was shut, Theresa looked up and asked, "Was someone yelling out there earlier? I thought I heard voices."

Taranee shrugged and adjusted her top. "I didn't hear anything."

Peter eyed Taranee's scanty clothing while she passed for the stainless steel fridge and asked, "T, where are your clothes?"

"These are my clothes, why is everyone all over my clothes all of a sudden?" She opened the refrigerator and bent low to grab what she needed, exposing all of herself to their eyes.

Theresa eeped and jumped over to pull Taranee back up by the arm, thus straightening out her skirt. "Alright, ummm... How about we go shopping today? Yeah? I mean wherever you... Apparently you don't have any modest clothes, so... What happened to your baseball outfit? Do you play sports?"

"Nope." Taranee was about to bend back down to grab some milk but her mother got it for her and waved to the table.

"Jut have a seat sweetheart, I'll get you some milk. We have eggs and—"

Taranee slid into the seat Peter pulled out and interrupted, "Eggs? I love eggs! Hay and I eat at least two omelettes a week on Meridian because their chickens make the best eggs ever. They do something to them, but... I don't know what. I don't ask questions."

Peter dropped into the seat on her right accompanied by his wife on the other side with cute little Tara. The table was placed for five. And Theresa sat on Taranee's left. Then it became awkwardly silent. The air was cold and unmoving as ice.

Forks and spoons scraped against ceramic material, adding to the low volume of the television. After awhile, Peter asked, "So Taranee!... Where did you run away to?"

As casual as possible, Taranee admitted, "Meridian."

Theresa cleared her throat and smiled to Tara across from her. Eating her bowl of cereal. "Tara? This is your Aunt, Taranee. Did you say hi?"

Tara flipped her short brown hair out of her face and waved innocently to Taranee from her seat added too with books. She was small at the age of four and had to be boosted.

Tara pointed to Taranee and looked up to her mother. "Taranee!" She yelled in her little squeaky voice.

Matira giggled and nodded her way. "That's right! This your Aunt!"

Taranee smiled and commented, "She's cute."

Peter ruffled Tara's head playfully and replied, "Yep, our little angel. So what's Meridian? Is that a nearby underground city specializing in magic?"

That was clearly a joke but he was seven out of eight chances spot on. Kandrakar wasn't underground, but it was still unknown. Just for fun, Taranee smirked down to the eggs she was eating and answered, "Yep."

Her turn, Theresa asked, "So about last night-"

"The fire thing I take it?"

Peter nodded eagerly from next to her. "Yeah, you made a tiny flame appear on your finger? And it didn't burn you?"

Matira grinned and asked, "Oooh, magic?"

"Pretty much. Just... Much stronger." Taranee set her fork down and grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth. "I'm the Guardian of Fire. So I have control over the element."

Taranee attracted her family's eyes to her raised right hand with five fingers spread. Then wiggled it around, bursting the air with a flame that flew around with it. Theresa yelped and about nearly fell out of her chair when the orange fire flew over her head. Then disappeared just as fast so Taranee could continue eating. "Star is wayyy better at it."

Peter glanced to his mother then back to Taranee. "Well... That was interesting. Any other tricks you got up your sleeves?"

"Plenty. But let me tell you where I got them from. It all started when I was thirteen at Sheffield. The same day we all met.. Will Vandom."

~TLO~

The Vandom home was surprisingly quiet that morning. When Susan woke up she was expecting William to be playing music and moving around like a crazy person. But his door was closed and the hallway was quiet.

Susan paid it no mind and made moves for the living room downstairs. Slow footsteps walked down soft comfortable carpeting. Then ears picked up the ruffling of paper, freezing her movements. Who was in her house this early?! Who...

Will. Right. She came home yesterday. Susan peeked out of the stairwell and eyed her daughter in the living room. She had her long red hair draped in a ponytail. Facing away from her. She was doing something with paper and whatever else. Susan wasn't too sure.

"It's not polite to spy." Susan gasped at Will's sudden assurance that she knew she was there. She turned her head slightly and smirked over her left shoulder. Glowing with knowing. "Just come in. It's your house."

Susan sighed through her nose and strode out of her hiding spot for the living room. Looking over the couch, she observed Will... Drawing? She was in a pair of baby blue bunny pajamas complete with the footwear drawing what looked like to be some guy from the newspapers. _One_ of the newspapers sitting on the dining table. And a few more on the floor.

Susan slowly took the empty space on Will's left with eyes full of curiosity. All of them were opened on the face of some guy wearing a dress suit and tie. Will pointed to him and clarified, "Doctor Samuel Matthews. The one in charge of these GU Portals. He's pulling all of the important strings. Turns out these portals are much bigger than we thought. International talks are already happening. Today. There's going to be ambassadors at that event."

Ambassadors. The sit-ins for leaders of countries. Will had a list of a few already in her lap. France, Russia, UK, and maybe five more. Susan swallowed and whispered, "I guess GU is starting small."

Will nodded then turned her whole head to face her. "Yeah. But the strange thing is... I've seen this man somewhere."

Susan followed Will's finger to the image of Samuel Matthews. She's seen this guy? "How?" Susan asked.

"Not sure. But I have. I'm not too worried about it right now though. I have to get ready for the event. It's at eleven and it's nine-thirty." Will stood up and adjusted her pajamas with a small smile. "...these are really comfortable," she muttered.

Susan mirrored her expression from below and replied, "I'm glad you like them. It's always important to sleep in comfort."

"...thanks, mom. I'm going to blow William's poor little mind now. Then when I get back, we can... Finally talk."

They really needed to talk soon. Even though they were near each other, they had yet to face the elephant in the room. The day Will ran away. Susan tightened her lips and nodded eagerly. "That'd be great, sweetheart," she whispered.

Will nodded at her then slashed open a red rift. Before she could run through in her pajamas, she grabbed her drawing. She was going to need that. Once it closed, the house was once again silent, leaving Susan Vandom alone to think about the day. The sun was shining and the air was clear was what she could tell from the living room window. For it to be a Sunday.

Susan sighed and grabbed the remote to the television. She had a feeling something big was going to happen. And she didn't want to miss it.

~TLO~

The kitchen table in the Cook household was so silent that only those around it's breathing could be heard. After her story about the beginning of being Guardians to when Will turned evil for nearly a year, then running away for their safety she decided to avoid their stares by quickly eating her food. Even little Tara who more than likely had no idea what was going on had her eyes trained on Aunt Taranee. The awkwardness was actually getting to Taranee herself. And she was the one who caused it.

"Come outside whenever you can." Saved by the Lin.

Taranee quickly placed her fork down and wiped her mouth with her napkin. Then pushed the chair back and moved with quick feet for the patio doors. She could see Hay-Lin sitting in the tree's branches up ahead when she stepped out into the cool air, bringing a smile to her face. Even in a serious mood, she looked protective. Ever since Yan-Lin passed away...

Taranee slowed to a walk and crossed her arms up to her. "You called, Mrs. Cook?"

Hay-Lin couldn't help but smile at her. No matter how much she tried to hide it, Taranee always figured out a way to make her do it. She slipped out of the tree and landed bare feet on the cool grass underneath their toes. Wearing a similar outfit like Taranee if not even more revealing. Walking over, she slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her on the lips for a few seconds. Relishing in her life that was her wife.

After she did, she pulled back halfway and whispered, "Yes, I did. We're doing surveillance on the event today. Just to get a good reading on what we may be dealing with while Star provides security."

Taranee placed a hand on Hay's chest and inquired, "When is the event?" Then patted her chest to get her to let go. She was going to leave soon.

"Eleven to one thirty but we're crashing it early."

"I'll be there. Where are we meeting at?" Taranee backed for the patio doors.

Hay-Lin smiled and raised the heart to create a portal. "Behind the mall. We'll be careful."

"I'll get dressed-mmm!" Taranee placed her hands on the side of Hay-Lin's cheeks when she darted forward and stole another kiss. Then had the nerve to slap her butt. "Mmm Hay~. I'm at my parents' house."

Hay-Lin pulled away and grabbed her hand with that gorgeous smile. Accented with balm on her lips. "I know. But later, you and me. I'm starving for some Taranee. Corny and Irma's at the beach already watching out with Melissa, she got their first."

Taranee pulled her forward and kissed her neck. There was a special spot here that made Hay's legs quiver. Sure enough, her legs jiggled like jelly. "Okay. Let me wrap up here and we'll go together."

"Wrap up with me, or..."

Taranee giggled and backed away from Hay's shivering body. "No, baby. Breakfast. Have you eaten?"

"On Meridian. I'll wait out here."

Taranee winked at her then turned around and made her way back inside. Sure enough with a certain wet area between her legs that Hay-Lin wanted. Bad. Taranee no less wanted the same.

~TLO~

When Star set foot back onto Merdian, it was in the one place she immediately regretted. Sarah's room in the castle. She may be over twenty one and nearly a an adult, but Queen Elyon still had her stay near and close.

Never in a million years would Star have witnessed Sarah naked, but there she was. Walking out of the bathroom in the bluff. Purple ears for peace and eyes glowing green. Baby face full of innocence.

Star rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I thought you would have been—"

"Oh my stars!" Sarah grabbed the blanket for her bed and wrapped up in fear at Star's voice. Her ears turned blue in embarrassment. She shot her with a heart-pumping stare of disbelief and yelled, "What have I told you about...!" Sarah's eyes scanned Star's nonchalant form up and down for a moment. Then she grinned and burst out into laughter.

While she dropped her towel and fell on the floor in clear humor naked, Star asked, "And what exactly is so funny? We have to help secure the Queen."

"In _THAT?!_ Bwahhh ha ha ha!"

In what? Star looked down to herself and blanched at the pajamas she was wearing. Still. Baby blue with little teddy bears on them. She totally forgot about these. They were so comfortable. Silently cursing herself for being too caught up in her missions, Star tapped the Remnant of Quintessence and changed into Starfire and the outfit. Glaring at Sarah she queried in deep sarcasm, "Is this better?"

Sarah straightened herself up and looked back to Star with slight amusement. "Much. Now get out."

Star turned around and ordered, "Meet me at the stables when you're ready." Then walked out the room, leaving Sarah alone. This wasn't the first time she's ever seen her naked. Not even the fifteenth.

While Starfire walked through the castle halls and passed friendly faces, she thought about her relationship with Sarah. She watched her when she was a kid grow up into one of the strongest women she's ever met. Elyon left out the important detail that Sarah was her adoptive daughter. When she wasn't around, Star took care of her. Like a daughter. And she enjoyed it. Like it was her own daughter.

But it wasn't her daughter.

Star ducked those wishful thoughts and walked down a dark patch of stairs into what could only be the armory. Steel armor lined the walls. Highlighted by the dancing licks of fire, Star walked past the armor with glowing red eyes, shining through the darkness to the back. Where a wardrobe sat. A single black wooden wardrobe hidden in the shadows.

Star grabbed the two handles when she reached it and twisted them down. Then threw the doors open to reveal her own signature armor inside. She only wears this on dangerous missions. The red steel emblazoned with the crest of Meridian on the front of the chest plate in gold. Most of her entire body would be secured inside, completely out of sight save for the regions that allowed her to breath. Like the knees, biceps and arms. The helmet looked like a regular helmet except for one thing. Her hair would drape outside the back. And the right side was entirely steel, keeping that eye out of sight.

On the right wall on the inside of the wardrobe, a painted red steel staff sat. One that Star grabbed and stared at. It held few scratches from training and sparring with Sarah, Caleb, the Guardians, and even the Queen on one occasion. After a quiet moment of preparation, she sighed into the wardrobe and stated loud, "You seem to walk with the wind, Elyon." Then turned around to face her.

Star heard soft footsteps approach that she recognized immediately. Elyon was interesting. She was tall at Cornelia's height but way nicer. And she walks so quietly. The white Royal Dress she was wearing didn't even shuffle when she moved. Like a ghost walking on air. Her parents would be proud.

Still sporting those two braids with the rings in them that stopped at her waist... _Your parents are jerks, Accent,_ Star thought.

Queen Elyon straightened her crown while Star started putting on her armor and asked, "How do I look?"

"Accent would eat you alive if he saw you. With me standing here or not. I would too. You're gorgeous. And me?"

Elyon hummed and used her magic to straighten out the armor on her right hip. Then smiled and answered, "Good and scary."

"Great. Earth needs to be a little scared. There's no discipline there. You should check it out much farther away from the beach." Star grabbed the handles to the Wardrobe and closed the doors back. Then swiveled back around and started the trek back up the stairs with Elyon following peacefully on her heels.

While they ascended, Elyon queried up to her, "Any idea on what's going on exactly?"

"From what we could tell..." Star stepped out back into the Castle's busy main hall and answered, "Easier travel. My guess is that someone saw us when we opened the portals and appeared in different locations. Then thought, 'Wow. I want to go to Paris just like that.' And the guy who did the thinking was... This man."

While they moved for the stables, Star passed the newspaper clipping with the hand not holding her helmet to Elyon so she could take a look. She hummed at the image and commented, "He looks familiar."

Star shook her head at the doors they were coming up on and added, "He's not from Earth. I've seen him around the Veil somewhere."

"Then what's he doing on Earth?"

"No idea. And my mission is to figure it out. I need to know his name first though so I can get a good understanding on him through research."

The guards at the end of this hall grabbed the handles for the doors and pushed them open, letting in the sunlight coming from the yard in between the castle and the stables. Star stepped out first followed by Elyon. The chirping of birds and the splashing of water reached their ears as they traversed the dirt ground. The wooden stable area was silent. But Star knew their horses were in there. Elyon needed good representation. She herself could fly out and intimidate without a problem. But the Queen of Meridian needed to be peaceful.

Elyon eyed Star suspiciously and said, "...you want to talk about something else right now. Don't you?"

How the hell does she do that? Star stopped walking and sighed ahead to the stables, "You and your empathic abilities. I guess you caught me."

"What is it, Will?" Elyon peacefully walked into the rank stables and up to a specific white horse on the right that neighed when she petted its face.

Star followed along and whispered, "Well... I've been thinking about Melissa and I's relationship."

Whipping around, Elyon immediately asked, "Are things not working out?"

"No, no, they're great. And... That's sort of the reason I..." Elyon stopped petting her horse and faced Will. After a few seconds, Will took the plunge and admitted with steps for the Queen, "I want to take things further with her."

Elyon didn't get it at first until it dawned on her a few seconds later. Will wanted to start a family. With the thought of a little Will and Melissa running around, Elyon squealed and asked, "Ohhh, boy or girl?"

Will leaned against the side of a stable with crossed arms and answered, "Girl for me. I don't know about Melissa. I really wanted to start a family earlier than now, but then the portal just had to pop up in Northton—NORTHTON!" Elyon jumped at Will's sudden exclamation. With a wide eye, Star pointed to the newspaper clipping Elyon still had and clarified, "I saw his face in Northton somewhere. Each time I take your boytoy back there, I see it."

Elyon smiled and decided, "Well I'll ask my 'Boytoy' about it when I see him again. I'm getting the feeling this is part of a much bigger picture."

Will nodded and started to help Elyon on the horse. Although she didn't really need it. All she did was float over the gate and onto her horse's back. It was a white coated mare with deep golden eyes and a golden mane and tail. It perfectly matched Elyon's wear.

Small footsteps brought their attention to the door for the attention of Sarah. Fully dressed in much more peaceful matte white armor that contrasted greatly against the rest of her body. Bearing the symbols of the Guardians, Kandrakar, and Meridian. And a sword on the right.

While she was putting her hair into a ponytail, Sarah asked, "What is Earth like? I have never been."

Star unlocked the gate for Elyon's horse and patted the wooden surface, signalling for it to trot out into the space beyond it. Sighing, Star answered, "It used to be beautiful and... Nice in a way of words. It's a huge world, but... Humans here on Metamoor don't destroy themselves as much as the Humans on Earth do. We have allowed money to rule our lives. Literally. If you have no type of income, you were born to die."

Elyon slowly trotted past Sarah for the sunny air outside the entrance and stated over her shoulder, "Jeez, dark much? Are you not using a horse, Star?"

She shook her head and followed after her while Sarah grabbed her horse, answering, "Don't need one, I fly and run fast. Sarah needs one. So here's how it's going to work. Once you're through that portal, you deliver the message as intimidating as you can, then come back home. It's going to blow their heads off if us walking through the portal with horses doesn't." At Elyon's nod, Starfire flapped her wings and hovered above them, watching the outside of the castle walls for any blue portals located in Meridian. If there was going to be any, she'd see them from way up here. Like a neon blue dot on a bunch of brown, dark green, and dark red. A portal spoke out way too much not to be spotted from hundreds of feet in the air.

While Starfire was observing the air, Sarah clopped out and stopped beside Queen Elyon with her eyes trained on the dot above that was her mentor. "Sweetheart?" She turned her head to face her adoptive mother's kind smile at her request. Elyon ordered, "Stay by my side, alright?"

Oh Queen Elyon... Sarah smiled and answered, "I'm not going to leave your side, mother. Not ever."

"Did you know Will wants a baby?"

"What?!"

Starfire suddenly dropped down in front of them, ending their interesting conversation. She pointed towards the eastern gate leading into the stables and declared, "Just spotted one! Half a mile east, let's go."

And at that, Elyon and Sarah snapped their reins and took off for the gate while Starfire took off back into the sky. "Open the gates!" Sarah yelled.

The Guards there did as ordered and quickly lifted the bar keeping the two large wooden doors together. Then grabbed and pulled them open, allowing them access out into the world once more. The Queen and her daughter moved quickly, following the black speck in the sunny sky towards the center of the town. Hooves patted down the dirt their horses ran on as they crossed the threshold into the mix of homes, stores, and entertainment.

At the sight of the Queen and Princess, all bowed as they passed, leaving only a small trail of dust that they even came by. After a few minutes, Elyon saw Star land a few ways up ahead in front of a large purple portal, swirling in front of Queen Elyon's rebuilt statue centered in a manmade pond.

Sarah and Elyon slowed their speed and eyed it. It was much bigger than the ones the Guardians can open, let alone Starfire. Snarling in disdain, Starfire pointed at it and stated, "This is not supposed to be here."

Sarah sighed through her nose and asked, "Is it really that bad?"

"They're using the only thing protecting them from immediate disaster as a way to travel. And they will more than likely charge for it too. Like I told you before Sarah, Humans on Earth kill themselves first before they let money die. I'm taking control of it right now. They are not doing this."

Star put on her helmet and took a pose with her legs partly spread and arms raised with open palms facing the portal. The glowing Remnant of Quintessence underneath her armor glowed a bright red before lightning shot out and started affecting the portal. Grabbing hold of a portal was as simple as closing one. Just like in the past when Will was a Guardian, she had to use the Heart of Kandrakar to close a portal. But this time, Will _was_ the Heart of Kandrakar.

All she had to do was use Quintessence and start closing it, but grab it at the end to control it. But since the Remnants were much stronger than the Hearts, it was a little more... Showy. Red neon lights bathed the area while the task was pending. Elyon raised her hand to cover her eyes and yelled over the crackling, "How long does this take?!"

"A few seconds!" Star yelled back. The portal was gradually turning from purple to red in a fast pace. And once it finally did, Star relinquished the lightning and stepped back to smile at her handy work. "And it's done. This portal is now mine. It shouldn't hurt you when you walk through."

Elyon knew it wasn't going to hurt her. If it would, Star wouldn't do it this way. While Sarah was adjusting her sword, Star turned around and asked, "Aren't you worried about more security?"

Elyon shook her head and stated, "I am absolutely positive the Guardians are on the other side waiting for us. Why use bows and arrows when you girls can manipulate the elements?"

"Good point. Alright, I'm flying through first. Once I'm out of sight, wait two minutes before you trot through. So I can attract the crowd and make them pass out."

Before Sarah could even sigh, Starfire zipped up high into the air and looped backwards into the same path they arrived from. She zoomed past Queen Elyon and Sarah. Then straight into the portal, creating a ripple. And more than likely creating chaos on the other side.

Elyon smiled and shook her head. Leave it to her to make the most biggest impact. Nothing gets the crowd running quite like a speeding missile flying out of a red portal. Nothing at all.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I decided to name Metamoor as the planet and Meridian as the town(Duh). Just in case anyone were confused. I hope you're enjoying the story! It's going to have three parts to it!.. I think. We'll see.


	39. Public Intervention

**Public Intervention**

 **Sorry for the late update, guys. I sort of forgot about this story. I actually have a lot of chapters ready for you guys. Here you go!**

* * *

Eager feet moved along sunny concrete ground. Loud chatter flew through Heatherfield's air as citizens and lawmakers alike moved for the TechCom Grand Stadium on the Northern side of Heatherfield.

Backed away from the tall skyscrapers, the new Heatherfield Football Stadium was home to their Football team. Going up twelve levels, it was entirely white with an off-white cover on the top, and a pattern of squares on the outer surface.

The Guardians flew over it and the crowds a few times with Melissa pinging, "Since when did Heatherfield get a football field?"

They quickly landed on the roof and looked over the edge at all the people heading into the entrances. Including a few enjoying pictures wearing more darker clothing. Like red and black. Hopping out of Chevrolet SUVs. Taranee hummed and said, "Government."

"Definitely," Cornelia agreed. Then turned to Hay next to her and asked, "So how do we get in? We can't exactly fly in."

"Easy." Hay-Lin stood up and lifted the Heart of Kandrakar, creating a portal leading onto another nearby rooftop that Irma could see. "We walk in. Follow my lead." Hay-Lin ran through the portal first and came out onto the roof of a restaurant, followed by the others. Instead of slowing her speed, she continued running towards the edge and jumped off.

Right onto the roof-access ladder for the building next to them. Loosening her grip, she slid down into the alley below and waited for the girls copying her movements. Then changed them all back into regular long haired citizens. Save for Melissa. She smoothened her hair back and asked, "Blend with the crowd?"

With eyes facing the entrance to the alley Hay-Lin confirmed, "Blend with the crowd." Then walked out into the sun and into the crowd of people heading towards the stadium. Software developers, fans of TechCom, GU LABS, and perhaps the ever so curious mind. The police were lining the street. Watching out for anyone doing anything suspicious. Like they were.

By the time they got inside, the sun was scorching hot. Taranee was honestly thankful for the skimpy clothes she was wearing. Melissa and Cornelia were wearing blue jeans and complaining about the heat while the others enjoyed the breeze. Once they were in, Hay-Lin pulled them over to the side next to an abandoned concession stand and pinged, "Now that we're in we need to cover our bases. Once Star, Sarah and Elyon come through, they'll need security away from whoever these guys are."

Taranee looked past Hay-Lin for the entrance to the Stadium and spotted part of the massive stage they were going to use to present these portals. "Are we covering the air?" She inquired.

"Melissa is. We need some up close and personal to the stage just in case.

They all faced the entrance while Melissa pinged, "When do we Guardian up?"

Hay-Lin waved her hand and led them towards the women's restroom a few feet away from their current position. Just a standard blue door with a steel covering at the bottom with the symbol of a stick figure female on the front. At the moment there was only two in there. A middle aged lady with her possibly five year old daughter. The bathroom was really big with nearly twelve stalls and shining floors. The sink had twelve pipes and one long bowl that led to a few of the pipes going into the ground, hidden from view by a basic steel cover.

Hay-Lin ignored all that and passed the women already in there for the very last stall. The Guardians decided just to wait and see the outcome, leaving the area in silence before the mother and daughter left. Leaving the Guardians alone.

After a bit of knocking around, Hay-Lin emerged from the stall with a arm-full off beige cloaks wearing a smile. "We're switching now in here," she stated. "Because if we don't, we won't have the chance."

Cornelia bit her lip and deadpanned, "So... In the bathroom."

Taranee nudged her and asked, "We've been in worse places, this is child's play."

Ignoring the banter, Hay-Lin dropped the clothes and pulled out the Heart of Kandrakar. She held it out and said casually, "Guardians, Unite."

A bright glow poured out from underneath their bathroom door and out into the fading halls for three seconds. Then dissipated. Next the door opened and six foot—nearly going on seven—women walked out wrapped up in beige cloaks holding expressions of nonchalance.

Hay-Lin was the first to move with the crowd of smaller humans for the entrance to the stadium. All parts of their bodies were hidden. Including their feet. The backs of their cloaks dragged the smooth ground. They kept silent among all the chatter, looking as innocent as they could at six feet.

"So what's the plan?" Melissa pinged.

The second they walked into the stadium, Hay-Lin replied, "I need Melissa by the stage. So cloak yourself and go ahead. Fly fast and quick. Try not to be seen. The rest of you in the air. We'll watch things from up there."

The stadium was surprisingly packed. The rising seats nearly full. In the center of the field was a large circular stage with a team of people in white coats checking out a steel structure. A steel ring with an equally as big base circling it. At the joints were large glowing purple tubes. Just like the same color they saw in the mall last night. They had way more of that stuff. Whatever that was definitely powered the machine. Hay-Lin made a note of that.

Large wires were connected to the sides of the vertical ring, snaking their way into the back of a setup on the side made of white computers. All at one station. A few of the white coats were click clacking away at them. But Hay-Lin wasn't focused on that.

She was focused on the one person wearing a business suit running up the steps in front of two more guys. He was white, maybe five foot ten from their current position, black short hair like Melissa's wearing something on his face. Probably glasses.

At the front of the gates keeping the people back from the sidelines were the representatives of the nations. No President, Kings or Queens, just sit ins. Literally sitting together at a long table wearing dress wear. Making conversation and passing the time.

The Guardians observed for a few moments before Hay-Lin pinged, "Let's split up. Guardians, move."

And just like that, they vanished in plain sight. One second they were there, the next they weren't. Four cloaked themselves and took to the sky while those behind them looked around for any sight of tall women. They'd never find them.

While they took to the sky, Melissa flew through the aisle and over the gating for the field. She breezed past the representatives and slowed to a running stop at the stage. To the inattentive eye, where she stood was nothing. But to the Guardians she was just a glowing person with wings. "I'm at the stage," she reported. "This thing is much bigger up close."

Above, Hay-Lin hovered directly above it and nodded to it. "It is," she agreed. She spotted movement at the corner of the stage. As well as on it. They were clearing it off and making moves for the chairs near it. "We're about to start. Keep your eyes open, girls."

The large displays at the top of the stadium turned on next, displaying the face of the host. The middle aged man with glasses smiling and walking around. Just like Hay-Lin thought. But she, just like the others had a bad gut feeling about him. And not because of that unibrow he was sporting.

When he popped up, the chatter calmed down before he spoke in a strange accent. "Good morning, everyone!" He boomed. "Thank you so much for coming to the first international demo of The GU Portals!" The crowd's cheering and clapping made the Guardians, specifically Melissa feel guilty about this. About what needed to be done. Going to Paris sounded nice. But it wasn't happening this way.

"I'm Doctor Samuel Matthews," he continued. He stopped next to the GU Portal and added, "Inventor of this machine and tool, which will be used to help get you where you need to, and want to go. Imagine going to see your family in the midst of a crisis. Going to Hong Kong for vacation. Saving money, time, and effort to appease your desires. Through simple science."

The displays at the top of the screen switched from him to a 3D animation of the portal. He raised his hand down to the huge pods of purple. "We call it Karmanatric Radiation. A form of harmless energy that breaks down molecules, shoots them through space at the speed of light, and rebuilds them through the computer built inside. An intelligent mind smarter than us."

Cornelia pinged, "Lies. I don't like this guy."

"None of us do," Taranee replied.

Matthews gestured to the International reps and greeted, "Good morning, reps. I hope you're excited today, because we definitely are. This technology will make your countries and transportation more safer. It's tamper-free and can only be accessed by a special key we create."

One of the white coats, a woman that looked exactly like a teenager with Cornelia-blonde hair raised a key to the air and inserted it into the computer desk beside the machine. A low hum resonated from it and reached the mic, growing in pitch. The pods containing the radiation started bubbling, warming up the machine. Doctor Matthews pointed to it and said, "Within two minutes, you can travel to your heart's content—"

"Of course with a fine," Melissa muttered from below.

"And you stay safe. This machine has been going through extensive testing."

Melissa pushed this man's voice out of her ears and focused on the main object of interest. The glowing purple dot growing in size in the middle of the ring. Just like he said, in two minutes, it was a pulsing swirling space of purple. A few pictures were taken from the stands.

Hay-Lin and Taranee looked at each other then back at the portal. Matthews walked towards the computer and said, "This machine connects to another by a pinging address. Similar to an internet address that... Uhh..."

Melissa smirked while the portal slowly glowed red. Looks like Star was right. It comes straight through Meridian before reaching anywhere else. Melissa heard the representative for the U.S. ask, "Is that supposed to happen?"

Matthews walked over to the computer the white coats were gathering around while the cameras from the news press zoomed in. Back home, Susan, Dean, Lillian and William were watching the feed with interest. William muttered, "I don't think that's normal."

A few people muttered in the crowd while Matthews whispered to the "teenager", "What is happening?"

Eyes on the screen, Patricia Simp shook her head and answered, "I'm not sure, sir. This has never happened before."

"Are we losing con—" Something black and fast zoomed out of the portal in a small storm of electricity, startling him and the rest of the stadium. All eyes followed the whistling thing while it whirled up and circled the stadium, blowing back hair and whatever else, causing a lot of muttering and ruckus. The cameras did a good job keeping up too.

"Where the Hay-Lin am I?" Starfire pinged. It made the girl mentioned groan at the pun.

"We're in a stadium," Melissa pinged. She too was watching Star circle back. "Fly my way."

"Already am."

The black dot zoomed straight for the Portal. Then zipped up and quickly slowed. Starfire dropped down directly on top of the steel structure with a loud clang. Then ironically, everything became silent when she rose. And raised her wings.

The representatives were quickly lifted up out of their chairs by their security before the doors shut somehow. Locking everyone in.

Everything turned haywire. But Matthews' assistant Patricia Simp was focused entirely on the winged woman standing on top of the red portal. She adjusted her round glasses and whispered with wide blue eyes, "An... Alien."

Starfire raised her hands and the lights in the building cut off. All except one. Directed right at the portal. That seemed to calm everyone down. Even the representatives were nudging away their escorts and silently watching Starfire in wonder.

She jumped off the portal and onto the stage. Then lifted her right hand to the computer. Those with GU LABS behind it ducked down at the same time Matthews' microphone flew out of his hand into hers. She tapped it and asked, "Is this thing on?" They heard her loud and clear. "Is my voice enhanced?... Can you hear me?"

Patricia was the only one who stood up and asked in a slow voice, "Hello! I am Patricia!" Star turned her whole armored body to face her while Patricia slowly walked out of her place into full sight. Of course shivering in fear.

"Who's this?" Star asked.

Melissa walked to Star from behind and whispered in her ear, "No idea. But she's with GU."

Star nodded to Patricia and replied, "I... Am Starfire."

One of the representatives far away asked one of those next to him, "Is this seriously happening?"

Patricia said, "Hello, Starfire. Are you... Lost?"

"No. I come delivering a message to humans. For the creator of the portals that have been popping up around my home?" All eyes turned to Matthews who slowly rose and revealed himself fearfully. Star scanned and identified him as the same guy whose face she's seen in Northton. She really wanted to know what he was doing here, but first she had to get everything in a straight line.

The portal behind Starfire flashed before Patricia's eyes then the most beautiful person she's ever seen walked through. On the back of a white horse.

Queen Elyon walked out onto the stage with Sarah showing glowing green ears and eyes in the darkness. Just for safety, Starfire created a blockade of air around the both of them. Elyon observed the stadium full of people for a moment. Next asked, "Are we in Heatherfield?"

"Not sure, but we're where we need to be. So let's just do this." Star handed her the mic then grabbed the horse's reins.

Elyon elegantly floated off like a white angel. Then landed on the stage barefoot under her dress. She held the mic up to her mouth and cleared her throat. "Good morning, citizens of Earth. My name is Queen Elyon, ruler of Meridian. And this is my daughter."

"Great work, you guys are making global news," Taranee pinged. She was standing behind the news line in the back watching them make phone calls, taking pictures, and a bunch of other stuff she didn't care about.

"As you may have noticed, your doors have been shut and locked, ceasing any escape passages because we have to talk," Elyon added. She floated around Star and over to Patricia who immediately raised her hands surrendering. Elyon just ignored it and stated, "I am going to cut straight through to the seed. The maker of these portals must cease all operations in the name of Kandrakar, overseers of the veil."

Patricia slowly shook her head and stammered, "I-I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about."

Elyon pointed to the portal behind her and asked, "This portal? There are more of them, no?" Patricia nodded. "Stop making them. You do not have authorization to open them."

That slightly irked Matthews. Authorization? What authorization? He walked around the computer smoothening his sports jacket with his eyes on Elyon. "Authorization?" He repeated.

Elyon focused on him next and answered, "Because of these portals, you are weakening the only thing protecting you. For money. Humans are blind and cannot see the true reality of their safety. Of course Kandrakar keeps it from you, but the fact still remains: You are playing an extremely dangerous game."

He stopped an impressive feet away. Mainly because of that glaring glowing red eye of Starfire hiding in the darkness above the portal. Trained on him. He asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Each time you create a portal, the veil becomes weaker. Mainly because you do not close it. The veil is what keeps you and your kind safe. Without it, all of you will die a very fiery death."

"Are you ordering us to cease making GU Portals?"

"Cease and burn, yes." Elyon let the mic go and hover so she could turn around and gesture to it. "This portal is unclean and forced. And illegal. Those of Earth are not allowed to open portals. Because for one you do not understand them."

Sarah hopped off her horse and followed after Elyon across the stage receiving global attention. Matthews adjusted his glasses and asked, "Will you help us understand them?"

"No. Humans misuse what they learn. I have seen it happen many times."

Matthews shook his head and replied, "I'm sorry Queen Elyon but we have worked really hard on this technology for years. We cannot simply shut it down."

Elyon raised an eyebrow and asked, "So you'd rather we shut it down then. This technology—"

"Is illegal, I heard you. Look, is there someway we can come to an agreement on this? Anything? We've worked really hard on this."

"The answer is no. Starfire?" Star dipped her hand under her into the portal. Then pushed lightning inside. The portal pulsed before it immediately shrunk and disappeared into her hand. The humming cutoff and their computers shut down.

"Take out those purple cylinders as well."

Star motioned down to Sarah who unsheathed her sword. Matthews shook his head and suggested, "I wouldn't do that. That glass is—" Sarah swung the sword down and cut straight into the cylinder. "Tamper... Proof."

Elyon turned back to him with a straight face and assessed him. He wasn't valuable. But he was familiar. Just like Starfire said. So she raised her hand and moved it to the side slowly, pushing him out of the way by an unseen force. Whether this stadium was listening or not, everyone was quiet. They were innocent followers.

She looked back to Matthews and said, "Here's the contract. Here's your deal. You have seven cycles to shut down the portals. Or... Some specialists will gladly do it for you in a timely manner. Albeit more violent. There will be no use hiding them either, they will be found."

Matthews, still floating raised his hands and bellowed, "That's not enough time! Nor is it fair—"

"Watch your tone!" Starfire yelled.

Elyon looked back to her then back to Matthews. "I'd watch it if I were you. We do not mean any harm, but... Starfire isn't your friend. And she's not really nice to begin with. You have six cycles to shut down the portals."

Matthews quickly recalled, "I thought it was seven."

"Now it's five. Continue speaking and I will make it four. And... Since I feel you humans at least deserve an explanation, a representative will meet with your own tomorrow. Here."

Matthews slowly floated back onto the stage while Elyon turned back around and professionally walked back to Starfire.

Matthews already didn't like her. But he didn't dare make that known because of her obvious security. Not to mention he was curious. He asked, "So are they coming in a UFO, or slipping through a portal?"

Elyon stopped and smirked over her shoulder. "They are already here. And have been watching in this same room. Five days, inventor."

"Opening a portal." Hay-Lin raised the Heart up from above and created a portal in front of Starfire. Once Elyon mounted her horse, she walked through the portal with Sarah, leaving Starfire.

Once the portal was closed, Starfire turned her eye to the national representatives standing behind their lines of gun holders. Then to the teenage scientist. She nodded to her and declared, "We speak to her. And only her. Meet our representatives here tomorrow, child."

Patricia actually wanted to tell her that she was over thirty, but decided to not piss off the alien with wings and red eyes. Or eye. But she did ask, "Do I need to take notes?"

"Yes. Have a good cycle." Starfire sliced open a rift and zipped through before she could respond. Then the lights turned back on and brightened up the stadium.

"Let's go, girls." Out of sight and definitely out of mind, Hay-Lin created a portal at the top of the stadium and zipped through with the other girls. Then it closed, leaving the chaos to them.

~TLO~

Starfire was sure Heatherfield, let alone the world was about to go haywire. She wanted to see the fireworks. So she and the Guardians met up at the one place they knew would always be their headquarters here. The Silver Dragon. Or what it is now. Some stupid fast food joint. Since everyone was focused on a screen of some sort, they landed foot in the street, quickly transformed into regular women and walked towards the McDonald's here.

The Lin family probably gave up the Silver Dragon when Hay-Lin disappeared. But that wasn't what was on her mind right now. Before Star entered the restaurant Hay-Lin asked, "She's a buy-in?"

Star grabbed the handle and looked over her shoulder. "Potential," she answered. Then pulled it open and stepped into grease, meat, and noisy people.

Just as planned, all attention were on "the aliens." People talking about things they'd never understand. All of this was out in the world right now. Out of all the booths, a small amount were filled since everyone was focused more on the many television screens. Playing back Star's arrival. The Guardians didn't take a booth. They took a table with six chairs near the very back.

Star sat next to Melissa and smiled. "Good morning, handsome."

"Morning, gorgeous. Give me a kiss before you head out, okay?"

"Of course." Star kissed Melissa then focused back on the moment. "The girl is smart, she'll see reason."

Hay-Lin sighed deeply and leaned back with crossed arms. "You know we're all experienced in conducting buy-ins for deeper missions."

"I know. Which is why Starfire isn't going alone." Will motioned to Irma and ordered, "You're with me. And before you ask, you're the only one here dressed in regular clothing that appeases people."

Irma looked down at herself. A pair of yellow Converse's, blue jeans, and a sheer yellow button up. She looked back up to Star and said, "But these were mom's. And that's not a good excuse."

Will grabbed the single ketchup bottle sitting in the middle of the table to look over and said, "Fine. The girl reminds me of myself when I was younger. Easily manipulated from a stray path into a better world. And who did I truly seek comfort in when I was younger?"

Irma rolled her eyes and sighed before Will added, "Not to mention you're more appeasing than all of us, and is now the funny one since... You know. Hay-Lin lost her touch. Then you introduced me to the girls and we've been... Sort of tight ever since."

"Not counting—"

"Nope. So since Irma is super casual,

she's doing the work. I'll be providing escort services. So far as they know, she's an alien."

Hay-Lin looked out a nearby window to a police car speeding by and asked, "What if they don't buy it?"

"Then she can shoot water in their faces, whatever gets lonely girl's rocks off. I'll be hiding in the background watching."

Cornelia leaned in and whispered, "You know the CIA's going to be there, right? And maybe even the FBI."

Hay-Lin tilted her head to Cornelia and said, "She's right. This is a huge deal, it'd be pathetic if they didn't do anything about meeting an 'alien.'"

"We've dealt with worse. I just realized something though." Will looked around for any listening ears. Then leaned in and whispered, "Elyon didn't clarify what time to meet."

Cornelia waved her worries away with her hand and stated, "More than likely the same time tomorrow morning. These guys aren't that stupid. A day is twenty four hours. Same time tomorrow. And are you sure about being in the background Star? I mean you are the strongest out of all of us. If something goes boom, it's best if you're there to contain it."

Star shrugged and coalesced, "Yeah I suppose. But it's better if Irma has her goofy peaceful side present. It shouldn't pop if she's all goofy."

"Yes but this is also a serious meeting," Hay-Lin argued. "So having someone serious on our side is also a good idea."

Will admitted to herself that they were right. Being serious was real here. Besides, the CIA or FBI were definitely going to be there. They weren't going to follow the Queen's orders. They were going to bring an army of people. Star coalesced and groaned, "Okay, fine. I'll be there with her. This Matthews guy better not say anything though. Speaking of him... I pinpointed where I've seen him before. Northton."

Hay-Lin raised her hand and backpedaled, "Whoa, wait. But you've only been in there once if my memory serves me correctly."

"Yeah, but I saw his face in there somewhere. He's from Metamoor."

Taranee broke her silence by muttering, "So... What's he doing here?" None of them had a good answer. But they did know one thing.

Star pointed to the Guardians and said, "You all need to watch him while we do some research into him, and his company. If he's from Metamoor, then he has no business being here."

Hay-Lin nodded and replied, "I agree. So here's the plan. Tomorrow, Star and Irma will meet up with the girl tomorrow. The rest of us will research GU LABS and their owner. Until then... Relax. Spend time to yourselves."

"Great." Melissa grabbed Star's hand and stood up with her. "Keep in touch."

When they turned around Taranee called, "Wait, where are you guys going?"

Star sighed and answered, "I still have to talk to mom."

Hay-Lin muttered, "You haven't done it yet?"

"I barely had any time. Let's go, sweetness." Will pulled Melissa along and out the door, leaving them behind.

Hay-Lin sighed and stood up too. "She actually has the right idea. Besides..." She grabbed Taranee's hand and smiled down to her. "You and I have some... Business to tend to."

Cornelia rolled her eyes and deadpanned, "Don't you mean, 'Taranee and I have to go have sex?' We're adults, not kids anymore."

"Yeah, but we're also in public. What Taranee is wearing is for my eyes only. I don't want them lusting after my girl. Let's go babe." Taranee giggled and followed after Hay-Lin. They would more than likely be on Meridian the second they walked out that door. Right there in that bedroom.

Cornelia groaned and dropped her face on the table. "Out of all of us," she groaned. "I honestly thought Will would be the kinky one. Turns out... It's Taranee."

Irma snickered and sighed. "Seriously though? Our sex drive is sad. I haven't... Ever been laid yet."

That was news. Cornelia sat up and brushed her golden hair back. Then grinned at Irma. "You haven't had sex before?"

"Nope. After what happened to Taranee... I sort of turned off and focused on work."

"Oh... Right. Think her parents know?"

Irma shook her head and eyed the television in the corner. There was a freeze frame image of Starfire. Thankfully they couldn't see her face. Leaving her a mystery. But they definitely got Elyon and Sarah. Sarah's ears were a neon red. She was angry.

"Hey Irma." Irma looked back to Cornelia. She was leaning on her elbow smirking her way. "We have some admirers."

"Stop teasing me."

"No, seriously." She gestured with her eyes towards the cash register. That same guy Will turned down was eyeing them secretly with two of his friends. Wearing more casual clothes. Whispering to each other.

Irma glanced to them and shook her head. "They're obviously in school. We dropped out fifteen years ago with no diplomas to prove it."

"Yeah he looks like a... A football player anyway. So about tomorrow..."

Irma grinned and said, "Oh it's going to be fun. Wish you could watch."

"Why just I, little fly?" Cornelia stood up with Irma prepared to leave.

"So you can learn from the pro."

"You must mean Star." They started the trek back to the door past the three guys watching them. "You're no professional. I have way more arrests."

"Do not."

"Do too."


	40. Little Will

**Little Will**

On the way back home, Star's thoughts switched from the mission to her personal life. Despite all the talk of aliens, none of it reached her head. Her brain was full. Her visible eye was to the ground, filled with thoughts. "What is it?"

Star gasped and looked up to Melissa. That smile would always make her smile. To appease her worries. Star sighed and whispered, "Nothing."

"Yeah right. Start talking, sweetheart, I always know when something's on your mind."

Melissa pulled Star over into an alley to have some peace and secrecy. Secured with an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"It's just..." Star sighed and looked Melissa in the eyes. She was beginning to twiddle her thumbs. The thing she does when she's really nervous. "Things at home are amazing. _Our_ home, I mean. Our Guardianships are going great. We've... Settled down. But..."

Melissa turned her full body to Will's. "But what?"

"Melissa, we're finally settling down. But there's one thing I want. And I'm not sure if you'd like it."

"And what exactly is that?"

"I... Melissa, I want to start a family with you."

Star witnessed Melissa's first ever freak out. It was... Pretty much just a staring contest. Melissa staring into Star's red eyes who in turn stared into her quivering brown ones. "We..." She finally spoke. "Need to talk about this a little bit more."

Star took a deep breath and immediately nodded. "Of course. I just wanted to get it off my chest. You know... Anger issues."

Melissa smiled and grabbed Star's hand. Then led her back into the light of Heatherfield. She shrugged and said, "I don't think you have to worry about your anger issues. You've mastered them a very long time ago."

"I still like to be safe."

Melissa kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I know. Hey... You look like a teenager."

"What?"

Melissa pulled her over to a nearby store and took a closer look at her wife. She wasn't like this yesterday. Today she looked much... Younger. Smaller even! She had the looks of a teenager before. But not this much. It was like she shrunk down and was sixteen again. No wonder these boys keep looking at her!

Melissa turned Star towards the glass windows and ordered, "Look at yourself. That's not normal."

Star gasped at her reflection and felt her face. "What the hell?! Th-This isn't good!"

"You weren't like this yesterday. Something must've happened."

Star sighed and relaxed. Albeit with uneasy eyes trained on the glass window. On herself. That was her exactly how she left Earth so long ago. Take it easy, she thought. "I have to read the tome," she whispered. Then started walking again with Melissa. Somehow she was turning young again. Not unwelcome, but she got used to her more adult body.

The second she and Melissa were alone, Star sliced open a rift and stepped off Earth onto Kandrakar. Something was wrong.

~TLO~

GU was in some trouble. Matthews and the rest of them had a problem just walking out the building. There were just too much press. Cameras constantly clicking, questions constantly flying. And they weren't only asking Matthews.

They were also asking his assistant. Patricia Simp was a small woman. Caucasian with light blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, dark blue eyes behind a pair of round prescription glasses. Nervous, she kept her mouth shut and moved for the doors of their SUV. But her mind was yelling other things.

They just spoke with aliens. ALIENS! But they looked like humans. Completely human. Apart from the glowing eyes and attitude, they spoke english and were clearly normal. Where did they come from? What system? What the hell was a veil?

Patricia jumped into the same SUV as her boss. Then the door was closed. The press' voices were shut out and the interior was quiet. Matthews hummed and looked back to the stadium. Queen Elyon. Kandrakar. He hasn't heard that name in a long time. Those girls were back. "The Guardians," he whispered.

He turned to Patricia on his right and asked, "Why did they want to speak with you? Would it not have been better to speak with me?"

Patricia shrugged and joked, "I guess I'm good looking."

"Well you're not going in there tomorrow alone. They said they wanted to speak with you for explanations. But they didn't say come alone."

Matthews pulled an expensive phone out of his pocket when the trucks started moving to make an important phone call. A few partners of his in the past. He put the phone to his ear and waited for the line to pick up. After it did, he greeted, "Hey, Donnel. I need you and your team over here by tonight... Of course I will, you know I have it. I know you saw the news. She's not going up there alone... Yeah, I know. I'll see you tonight."

He hung up the phone and faced Patricia. "So I secured your security. They'll be here tonight to escort you tomorrow morning. Now I have to call Mary."

Patricia just looked out the window while he did so. Her mind was filled with more important things. What was a veil? And what we're they talking about? Playing a dangerous game? A fiery death? Patricia wasn't sure if she could wait for tomorrow.

"They're already here."

How big does this thing go? Their specialists were already here? She had a bad feeling about these guys. But everything would hopefully come to life tomorrow.

~TLO~

The change of Kandrakar was non-existent. It still looked exactly the same as before. The sky was blue, the stone structure was untouched, and the air was silent and peaceful.

Save for the footsteps of Star and Melissa as they treaded the shining and sparkling marble floors. The large stone columns held up the high ceiling.

While they moved, Melissa had to actually tilt her head down to smile at Star. "Don't. Start," Star scolded.

"You're so cute. All small and mean."

Star huffed through her nose and started the walk across the bridge for the chamber doors. "Don't push it. Something's wrong. This has never happened before."

"Maybe it's because you're on Earth."

"Then why haven't you shrunk with the others? And turned sixteen again?"

When they reached the door, Star stopped and raised her right fist to knock. But her eyes trained on the glowing Remnant of Fire. She locked eyes with Melissa for a moment. Worry was evident. And they were maybe even thinking the same thing. Star decided to buck knocking to the side and just pull the doors open. Then stomped her way in.

The only one in there right now was Cassidy in the most relaxed position they've ever seen in her in. Sleeping. In the Oracle's seat. How exciting. Star called out, "Hey Cassidy!" Cassidy yelped awake and stood up straight like a soldier ready for battle. She must've been expecting Himerish or someone. Well she wouldn't be able to see him since her red hair flipped over her face.

"Yes, yes, yeah!" She replied. Then locked eyes with Will and Melissa below. "Hey, Melissa. Who's... Will?!"

Star raised her hands out and asked, "Look, can you help us figure this out? Being sixteen and this small causes issues."

"I'll say, look at you~! Awww!" Cassidy floated out of the stands down to Will. Then gripped her cheeks and fawned with her eyes burning into hers. "You're so adorable~!"

Star slapped her hands away and gripped Cassidy's own cheeks. Then yanked her down into her face. Glaring straight into her eyes. "Cassidy?" She snarled. "As of this moment, I am smaller than everyone. I look like I did back in school. You. Must. Help. Not dress me up."

"Alright, alright." Cassidy backed off and gestured with her hand to follow her back out the doors. "So what do you guys think it is? I'm sure you have your own theories."

They both immediately answered, "The Remnants."

"Yes, I'm thinking that as well. Good work on Earth by the way. We've been watching. I guess it's time to come out to everyone now, right?"

Melissa shrugged and pushed the doors open for them all. Then answered, "Well there's a madman on Earth who possibly wants to converge the worlds and introduce them to each other. Now that Humans are focused on the 'Aliens,' it gives us time to investigate GU LABS."

Star added in a younger voice, "More specifically their leader. Owner. Whatever. He's not from Earth. Fix my voice!"

Cassidy led them towards the middle of the bridge and stopped. "Yes, Queen Elyon informed us of his presence. She's going to go to Northton and ask about him. She can't wait for Glint this week. So she has to go to him."

Star gripped Melissa around the waist and jumped off the edge of the walkway with Cassidy. At least she was still as strong as before. She slowed her descent to a pleasant landing down below on a much bigger floor. The library was only a few yards away. They could walk the rest.

Melissa sighed and stated, "Well that's going to be fun. For him and her. What about it, Little Will? Ow! Hey!"

Star withdrew her fist from Melissa's shoulder and asked, "Any idea about the Remnants? Your own theories?"

Cassidy led the way to the library and answered, "Personally? The Remnant of Quintessence is using your life strength to keep itself up to par. Remember, Quintessence is life itself. Just a bunch of life. Before you had it, it wasn't using any of the life inside because it was dormant. It may be really strong, but even it has its limits. So to keep the right level of energy it restores itself by stealing the life of its host. Making you..."

"Younger or older," Star muttered. "So basically... I'm wearing a literal 'Fountain of youth.'"

"Eh, pretty much." Cassidy walked into the library and raised her hand to summon the book she needed. From the top shelf, it floated down and into her palm. It was the same book Star stole so many years ago. Cassidy used her own powers to flip it open and rapidly shift to the Remnant of Quintessence catalogue. Then pointed and decreed, "Yep, I was spot on. 'Many believe that the Remnant of Quintessence was the legendary Fountain of Youth. It is believed to use an age as a form of energy against one's will to supply its power.' What that means is when it runs out of Quintessence, it uses your life to fill itself back up. So the larger the spell, the faster that time approaches."

Star raised her hands and yelled, "Wait, wait, hold on!... Are you telling me... I'm stuck like this?!"

~TLO~

Samuel could barely believe what he and Lillian just saw. Mom and Dad were actually more calm about it than anyone else in this house. Since they were like best friends and family, the Vandoms like to hang out across the street at the Cordeau's, or they would come to their house. William liked Samuel. He exercised a lot anyway.

While the adults were in the Cordeau's kitchen, William and Lillian decided to go out back and play some basketball. Apparently Melissa was into sports in the past. What type? Any type.

In the middle of the court made of grass, William used one hand to keep Lillian back away from him and the other to throw the ball up and through the net. He let her go and shot his hands in the air in triumph. "Oh yeah, short stuff! Try me!"

Lillian scoffed and slapped his shoulder. "You're cheating."

"Because I can." Lillian ran over to the goal and grabbed the ball. Then threw it back at him.

It was suddenly snatched out of the air by Cornelia, surprising both of them. She definitely wasn't there a second ago. She was wearing an outfit similar to what Taranee was wearing that morning. Although more discreet. It was a long brown dress with a v-neck. Her hair was put into a braid hid in the back.

She smiled and observed the ball she was holding. "Well this is... A nice time-killer, I suppose," she muttered.

Lillian smirked and pulled the ball out of her hold. "Yeah, it would be if William wasn't cheating."

Cornelia grinned and asked, "Oh really? Pass me the ball." Lillian shot the ball into her outstretched hand. Now in her grip, Cornelia pulled her arm back, and flicked her wrist. The ball went sailing through the air, angled down, then swished straight through the net.

Cornelia threw her hands up and slowly backed away with a serious look on her face. "And ladies and gentleman, that is how it's done."

William walked onto the concrete that made up the backyard patio—as well as their makeshift court—and snatched the ball up. Then playfully accused, "You cheated, you used the air."

Cornelia chuckled and asked, "Actually, no. That's Melissa's niche. I use the ground, so I didn't cheat since the ball never touched the dirt. Pass it back."

William shot the ball over to her. Then stepped in to guard her. There was no way she was going to get past him this time. Cornelia watched him dance around in amusement. Did he seriously think he could stop her? She placed her hand on his forehead and held him at bay two feet away. Then used her other hand to shoot the ball.

It sailed through the air and angled down for the net. Almost there before a red thing came out of the literal blue and slapped it off its trajectory. Small Will landed on the ground far away and raised her hands in triumph. Now she looked like she was fifteen. Even had the voice like it. At least her hair was the same. Long and bright red.

Will raised both her hands to the side and swiveled on the ball of her foot to face the three confused expressions. "Uh huh!" She cheered. "Oh yeah, come on clap!"

None of them did. Except one. Melissa walked out of the home's back door guffawing, clapping loud and hard. She pointed at Star and said, "Guess who that is!"

Cornelia followed her finger at the teenager blowing raspberries at Melissa and answered, "No idea."

"It's Star! The Remnant of Quintessence is stealing her life force and dwindled her down to fifteen years old."

Cornelia looked to Star slowly shaking her head. "No way... No fucking way, seriously?"

Star flicked off Melissa then focused back on Cornelia. "Yeah... I'm stuck like this. Which means—"

"Hey, girls!" Melissa pinged. "Star's fifteen again, come to my place!"

Star placed her hands on her hips and turned to glare at Melissa. "Seriously?!"

She just shrugged innocently. Complete with a grin. "What? They were going to find out anyway."

"What's with all the yelling? Holy—Will?!" Susan ran out the back door and up to Will. She mashed her cheeks together and looked down into her eyes. She knew her daughter when she saw her. Besides, who else has a burned eye. "What happened to you?! Is this more of that Guardian mumbo jumbo?! Melissa, start explaining why my daughter's fourteen!"

Melissa walked past Susan over to Star and flicked the Remnant on her chest. "It's this. The Remnant of Quintessence gives her her powers. Along with the other four. But they eventually run out of Quintessence. So to keep them full, the Remnants steal the life force of its host. She's literally wearing the Fountain of Youth."

Hay-Lin skipped out from behind Cornelia and over to Star with stars in her eyes. "Awww, she's adorable!" She swooped Star into her chest and stated, "Now you can wear your old clothes again!"

Star struggled to get out of Hay-Lin's grip. Finding it pointless, she just jabbed her ribcage and darted over to hide behind Susan. "I forgot how much she likes children," she groaned. Then was pulled back into a hug by Irma next. "Seriously?! Girls, I'm still thirty one!"

Taranee peeked over Melissa's shoulder amused and stated, "You sure don't look like it."

Star casually lifted her palm and created a fireball. "I will burn you."

Melissa stifled down her laughter and grabbed Star's hand. "Okay, fine, we're sorry. We'll stop teasing you now. Although this does changes things a little."

But William just had to let one slide. There was no way in hell he was going to let this moment pass. "Hey, I have a little sister! I'm older now."

Star shot her sights over to him and retorted, "Nope, I'm still older than you. I may look like a shrimp, but being small definitely makes me even more faster to beat your head in."

Hay-Lin crossed her arms and pinged, "Which is why you're meeting with the girl tomorrow morning instead of Irma. Alone."

What?! Star pointed an accusing finger at her and yelled, "No way!"

"Yeah, way. You're much smaller and can definitely put her at ease. Moreso than any of us. So you're taking this one now."

"Ah, come on Hay, no fair!"

"You're still doing it. Whine all you want to, this is your solo mission."

Star stomped her foot and crossed her arms. "Ugggh, fine! But if someone tests their luck, it's not my fault what happens next."

"Yeah, sure. Now let's get a look as to what's going on right now."

Taranee raised her hand and said, "I'll do it. I don't really have anything to do today."

Star shook her huge head of red hair around and relented, "Wait, no, you still have to hang with your family, I guess. I'll do it."

Melissa frowned at Star's blush and visual avoidance. She new exactly what that meant. Melissa turned to the others and motioned them away with a slight wave of her hand. Including William and Lillian. This was she-and-her time.

Cornelia quickly grabbed William and Lillian's hand. Then led them inside with the others. Whatever was bugging Star, Melissa could handle it. When they were finally alone, Melissa walked closer to her wife and grabbed her hand. Ripping her attention away from the grass.

Whispering, Melissa asked, "What's up? You're doing it again. Blaming yourself."

Star growled and retorted, "I'm not blaming myself." Melissa sighed and just stared at her. Wait for it... Any second... Star let Melissa's hand go and turned around. "I'm just... None of this would be—"

"Don't do that." Star felt Melissa wrap her arms around her from behind and whisper, "It's not all your fault. This guy, this... Weird man not from Earth wants to just do what you wanted to do. This is his problem, not yours. You're doing the right thing to try and solve it. He's doing the wrong thing to try and cause it. So let's just beat his face in and call it a day, okay?"

Star sighed and let a small smile grace her face. Melissa always knew how to make everything better. Even when they weren't really supposed to be. Star grabbed Melissa's right hand and placed a small kiss on it. "Thanks, Double Dees."

"Anytime, Bitty Bees. And I can actually say that now." Melissa playfully flicked Star's little right tit before it was slapped away.

"You pervert. Stop molesting me, I will have you charged." Star swiped her hand and sliced open a rift. She had somewhere to be and information to retrieve. "I have to do some research on our little friends at GU."

Melissa crossed her arms and asked, "You're stalking them, aren't you?"

Star stopped just shy of entering the rift and smiled over her shoulder. "I'm stalking one. Don't wait up." Then zipped through out of sight. After it closed, Melissa was left in her old backyard alone. With a basketball and a goal. What is a girl to do?

~TLO~

Mary wasn't having a good day. GU was going through a crisis and potential stocks were being lost in the market. A few of the international representatives who attended their first ever live demo have already said their countries were backing out. Three out of five. The other two had pending decisions.

Then Doctor Matthews showed up at her office and demanded an immediate Press Release as soon as possible to appease their potential consumers. She went with the basics out in the front of the laboratories. An investigation was currently underway, the "Please stay calm" bit, and more details will be released tomorrow. Which means a possible full inbox.

Mary's dark blue casual suit was ruffled by the time she made it home. A two story ranch style out in Rural Heatherfield. Away from all the fan fair she shared with her sisters. The driveway was big enough for all three of their cars if they didn't park them in the two-door garage. Everything inside was fancy too.

Having the business side of things, all three held high paying jobs and were fortunate enough to make more than three hundred thousand a year combined. They had enough to live on their own and start families.

But they chose to stick together. Mom and Dad would have been proud. After Mary parked the car next to Stacy's truck, she turned off the engine and sat back. Staring at the dangling necklace dancing around the rear-view mirror. It was a small five by five photo of their family as a whole. Mom, dad, Stacy, Cecelia, and herself. All in one photo. They would've been so proud.

Mary let out a huff of hot air to push her issues to the side and popped her car door open. Then stepped out to face Cecelia. Still wearing overalls. Gardening was her past time when she wasn't prettying herself up for a potential date. Her light blonde hair still held her blue highlights. And her height from High School remained the same. Five foot nine.

"What the hell happened out there today?" Was the first question she asked.

Mary closed the door and sighed. Then started the walk back to the house with her. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Well, I'd like to." They whirled back around towards Stacy's truck and stared at the familiar teenager eating a Hershey bar peeking out of the bed at them.

Mary immediately asked, "Who are you, kid? Get out of here!"

Will popped up into full view with a scowl and replied, "Dammit, I'm thirty-one! Do I seriously—you know what? That doesn't matter. You girls seriously turned out good. The last time we were around, you were being escorted out of school by the police."

Cecelia stared at her for a moment. Then gasped and yelled, "WILL?! WILL VANDOM, IS THAT YOU?!"

Will sighed begrudgingly and answered, "Yes, it's me."

"Why do you still—"

"It's a side effect!" Star jumped out of the truck and walked up to Cecelia with open arms. The two shared a deep hug before Mary piled on. "I'm so happy you girls turned out okay."

"What happened to you guys though?" Mary asked. "Are you and Melissa still..."

"We're actually married." Star pulled away and added, "And I'm actually thirty-one. Long story short, I'm immortal. Anyway, I'm here for information."

Mary sighed and crossed her arms. "Let me guess... The alien thing."

"They're not aliens. Not exactly. As a matter of fact, I know Queen Elyon personally. I'm only here for info. You tell me what I need to know, and I'll reciprocate."

Mary and Cecelia shared a curious glance then trained back on Will. They already knew about her powers. But how far does this really go? So a few minutes later, a soda can was slid across their marble countertop into Star's open hand.

Since the living room was the whitest thing Star's ever witnessed, they held their sudden meeting in there. A sixty inch flat screen sat dormant on a brick wall while sliding patio doors lined the space behind the couch. A marble dining table sat between Star and the Vanhooven sisters, currently in use for a box of pizza from last night.

Mary took a bite out of one and leaned back, eyes on Star. "So... Where have you been all this time?"

"On another world." Star took a pleasant bite out of her pizza and moaned pleasantly at the taste. "I honestly forgot what pizza tasted like. There isn't any on Meridian. I'm an interdimensional bounty hunter who lives there."

Stacy bounced her eyebrows and commented, "How nice."

"Yeah, I guess. We're currently in the middle of an investigation here on Earth. Someone has been opening portals without our consent. That's illegal."

Cecelia pointed to Star accusingly and stated, "'Our?!' So you are behind this! Everyone thinks aliens are real, come on Will, what the hell!"

"Oh what happened at the thing? Yeah that was real." Will took two more bites and set down the pizza so she could explain better. "GU LABS is illegally opening portals. They're extremely unstable if not handled correctly. So a friend decided to scare them for us."

"That's what I don't get." Mary set her own slice down and turned into Business Vanhooven. "How exactly are they dangerous? It's harmless radiation."

"Well for one, that's not radiation. Who came up with that?"

"Doctor Matthews."

"Yeah, he's lying to you guys. There's no way in hell Radiation can open a doorway. That's not possible. He's using Quintessence or an artificial compound of it. I'll lay it down for you like how I'll do it again tomorrow. This is good practice. What do you see around you?" Will waved her hand around through the air, gesturing to all their fancy belongings

"...do you seriously want us to answer that?" Stacy inquired.

Star nodded and took a small sip of her drink. "Yeah. What do you literally see in front of you?"

"Well... Alright. I see a girl I'm slightly afraid of. I see a bunch of white furniture, the afternoon sun shining, the kitchen... And everything else."

"Right. But there are other things you can't see. Like... Let me show you." Star wiped her hands off on her dress. Then sliced her hand through the air, creating a rift. The second Star reached in, something grabbed Cecelia's hair.

She yelped and whirled around to face... Will's hand?! She screamed and leapt up off the couch in fear. There was a disembodied hand grabbing her hair! Mission accomplished, Star pulled her hand back and closed the rift. "You saw me put my hand through there and disappear. But it was actually behind you. My hand traveled through time and space, just how your GU Portals do. I traveled through what is called 'The Veil,' which is used to protect you from any physical threats.

"But it also works as a stabilizer. Earth isn't really alone like this. You just can't see the other worlds around you."

Mary quickly asked, "Then why haven't we detected them? Radio signals should have picked them up by now."

Will dropped back down into her seat and answered, "Because your waves travel with the veil. Not through it. You can't detect what's not in that specific time and space. In that dimension. Now how does this relate to the Portals? Well for one thing, they create paths through the veil and to those worlds first before hitting their target location. 'Warming up,' they call it. That is illegal. No one on Earth except me, Hay-Lin, and the other Guardians are authorized to do so. Any other will be arrested. It also endangers the worlds. All of them.

"Even though the veil seems strong, it's actually very fragile thanks to time. Myself and other artifact holders are all trained on how to open portals correctly without permanent damage. We open, then close them shortly after. If we leave them open and open more, it begins to fall apart like an old wet curtain, revealing the worlds. And if there are enough portals open, then it will disintegrate, exposing everything to everyone."

Cecelia leaned on her right arm and said, "That sounds... Really cool actually."

"No. Not cool. Because everything is so close together, gravity begins to take over and... They collide. A huge fiery death. Everyone will die. All for a stupid profit. GU LABS wants to keep the portals open for traveling, and that's a no no. I want to know about GU LABS. Teach me."

Mary clapped her hands together and answered, "GU Labs is a 'Future Electronics' company. With a vision of bringing a fantasized future to the reality."

"So GU is literally a bunch of middle school nerds, got it. Now what do you know about Matthews? Anything?"

Mary shrugged and answered casually, "He bought the company. No one knows how. Paid over thirteen billion dollars just to be the head."

"Is that even legal?"

"Yeah. But no single person just... Buys a company either."

"Yeah, you're right." Star tapped her fingers against against the table. Thinking. This Doctor Matthews guy just buys a company. "So... What has he created ever since he's been in charge?"

"Uhhh... The GU Phone, the GU Display, and... That's it."

"How long has he been the head?"

"Maybe four years now."

Red flag. Everyone is buying his electronics and such. But they are certainly eating up his GU Portals. "Do you have a sample of what is used to open the Portals?" Star asked. Maybe with that the Guardians can compare them to the rest of their electronics.

Mary shook her head and answered, "I'm not authorized to that stuff. And I have no idea where it is."

"Damn, okay. This man is up to no good."

Cecelia asked, "What are you talking about?"

Star stared at her with one eye for a moment and decided not to say anything about him. This guy has the nation under his belt. Who knows, she could possibly tell "Samuel Matthews" about their plotting. Star shook her head and replied, "Nothing, don't worry about it. But do me a favor, will you Mary?"

Mary stood up with Star and answered, "Sure, what is it?"

"Keep a close eye on Doctor Matthews and stay on your toes. From what the girls and I have experienced, guys like him have a completely different side." Star slashed open a rift and stepped through. Then it was closed once more, leaving them with her warning.


	41. Meeting With The Star

**Meeting With The Star**

Soon the night came over Heatherfield, turning her sunny blue skies into a star filled wonder. They twinkled in the darkness, adding faint light to the streets of Heatherfield and Will's room.

Being trapped in her old and much younger body was something Will would have trouble adjusting to. But despite the downsides, there were upsides too. Like Hay-Lin mentioned, the clothes from here were once again wearable. They fit perfectly. Albeit old, they worked out. Even her old shoes fit. It sent a strange feeling down her spine. Was it welcomed? It was too early to tell.

Her parents were sleeping, leaving Will alone in her room. William was doing something around here somewhere. And since he was still on punishment, it involved no phone. So that probably left... Her.

Someone knocked on Will's bedroom door timidly. A quiet sound that pulled her attention from the notes going through a staring contest on her desk to the mirror attached to the back of it. Sighing, she stood up and walked over to her only creator of privacy in this house with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Wearing a frog themed pink pajama set. Even though she had an extremely huge day tomorrow, she still had time for him.

William. He was on the other side leaning against the wall, staring at the floor with crossed arms. Besides him, the hall was dark and deserted. The only source of light was the small lamp light coming out of Will's room stretching into the hall.

Will sighed and whispered, "You should be in bed, what's up?"

He glanced up at her and replied, "Can I... Talk to you?"

Well what did thisone want to talk to her about in the middle of the night. Will looked back to her notes then to her brother. The notes could wait for a few minutes. She stepped to the side and gestured him in with a nod of her head. He took that gesture in kind and walked past, then she softly sealed him in.

This was the second time in a lifetime he's been in here. All of the frogs were at the head of her bed made up into a pile, the pillows were fluffed, and her dresser was organized with pictures of her and Melissa. As if time never passed.

Will cut off the lamp light and attracted her brother's attention. now it was only a light from the moon. With her back to him, she pointed to the bed and ordered, "Take a seat."

He didn't take his eyes off of her for a second when he slowly did. Especially when she snapped her fingers and created a small flame dancing on her index that she used to light a candle he hadn't noticed. She glanced over her shoulder at him and stated, "This is more soothing than a bright light."

Then she sat down on the bed next to him and adjusted her long red hair. William really wanted to know what she was hiding behind all that red. But he pushed it aside for now. He watched the candle flicker and asked, "What don't I know about you? Mom just said you were my sister after I broke a picture frame... And that you ran away."

Will turned her head to him and asked her own question. "Is that all?'

"Well you showed up shortly after, and things became even more vague." William turned his attention entirely on her. "What is she not telling me?"

"I already told you everything at last night's dinner. You know, the same dinner you called me a Tyrant at? And I had to cry in my wife's arms?"

William silently cursed at that memory. It wasn't one he was proud of. "Will, I'm sorry. I... I shouldn't have called you that. There's no telling what you've been through and... I had no right."

Will tightened her lips and kindly patted his back. "Well it's more important to grow in knowledge than anything else. I hope one day you can see this for yourself."

"Maybe." William turned around and eyed the mountain of stuffed amphibians. "So... What's up with the frogs?"

Of course he'd ask that. These guys were everywhere. She smiled and answered, "Mostly therapeutic. And because I like frogs." Will reached down to the floor out of sight and pulled up a giant yellow one wearing a golden dress. "This one was extremely therapeutic. The smaller ones are all for fun. I'm bipolar, so don't make me angry. I may hurt you."

"A little shrimp like you?" Will immediately pulled her arm back and slapped his back. He yelped and stood up to dart to the other side of the room. "Ow! Jeez, Will!"

Will just smirked and held her frog innocently. She's really taken to the role of being sixteen again. "What?" She asked.

"You just hit my back."

"Awww, I'm sorry. Come here stop complaining." William begrudgingly sat back down next to Will so she could clearly toil with his hair. It was all over the place.

William decided to ask the one question that's been on his mind since she clued him in. He glanced up and asked, "So uhhh... What happened to your face?"

Will immediately replied, "I'm blind in my right eye thanks to lightning. It's completely singed there. So I just hide it."

"...oh."

Will pulled away from William's much better mess of hair and said, "You're going to make a very pretty lady happy one day William. When I was your age, I wasn't even into girls."

What? William looked at her and asked, "So how did it happen?"

"After I got amnesia, everything sort of switched. Melissa knocked into my life and then... She was cute. Pretty. We dated, fought a little just like every couple. But she was so loyal to me, and I was loyal to her. Now... We're married and living it out on Metamoor."

William wanted to ask if he could see this Metamoor sometime, but something was telling him she was going to say no. He just settled for, "Must be nice."

"Yeah... I love it there. I guess that's enough night of storytelling. You still have school tomorrow. I may be 'sixteen' again, but I'm older than you by many years in advance."

"Fine, fine." William stood up and walked to the door. He could feel Will's stare shooting harmless fire into his back when he opened it and stepped out. "See you tomorrow?"

"Of course. But it'll be in the afternoon, I'll be out of here when you wake up."

"Okay. And Will?" He smirked over his shoulder and whispered, "You're not bad." Then closed the door, leaving her with a great feeling. Her brother may be a little radical at first. But he definitely had a brain under that head of brown hair. And a heart somewhere else in there too.

~TLO~

Silence. Lights, voices bouncing through the halls. Hay-Lin's been at the Heatherfield stadium a majority of the night at the very top of the stands. Watching the action down below in the dark and around her. At five in the morning a black SUV pulled inside underneath the dome with five more. Along with military humvees and news crews. A lot of news crews.

They ringed the outside of the field entirely while the military and even a few police applied yellow tape to keep anyone not allowed back. No citizens were in here. But there was definitely something going on. People in hazmat suits...

"Seriously?" A very familiar voice said. Hay blinked and looked to her right at Starfire dropping into the seat next to her. Glaring at everyone below with a red eye full of distaste. "Jeez, we're not going to blow everything up. Where's my meeting table? They have everything not needed for a meeting except what _is_ needed for a meeting."

Hay-Lin sighed and directed her sights back to the action. She answered, "Not sure. I've been here all night."

Star leaned back in her seat and sighed. That's right, Hay-Lin's parents aren't in Heatherfield anymore. "I'm sorry about your parents, Hay," she whispered.

Hay-Lin knew she was going to bring up something like that eventually. Hay-Lin just shrugged and replied, "Yeah, well they're out there somewhere. I'll see them again one day. I'm more concerned about right now. Hey, there's your table."

Will directed her attention to the middle of the field where two soldiers were hefting a circular meeting table from the sidelines. Heading for the middle of the football field. The FBI and CIA were here as well. Including two familiar faces. Star narrowed her eyes when she recognized their figures. It may have been fifteen years, but she rarely forgets a face. Especially those trench coats.

"Donnel and Matthews," she whispered. "I don't think they're on the peaceful side. Should we take their stuff?"

As tempting as that was, Hay-Lin shook her head. "No. Disguise yourself as friendly, Star. And use your sidekicks for protection. You could easily pass for nice at your size."

"I will hurt you, Hay."

Hay-Lin just leaned back and stared up at the dome covering the stadium. "Yeah, I know. Be safe, okay? Don't do anything unnecessary."

Star stood up and slashed open a rift. "Fine. But no promises." Then jumped through and closed it back. Hay-Lin knew Star doesn't like telling stories or explanations. But she was capable of getting it right than any of them. So Hay-Lin decided to leave it to her.

She slowly rose up herself after three minutes. Then used the Heart to create a portal on the concrete floor she jumped down into. Leaving those on the grass way down below alone. For now.

~TLO~

There was a lot of news when those trucks pulled up to stop in front of that sunny stadium. CNN, FOX News, and even a few from New York. So many cameras, so much action. Then Patricia stepped out and those same cameras started flashing. At least Mary was with her. She could use a friendly face, even if it was work.

Both of them were quickly escorted up the stairs to the front doors of the stadium. And soon into the quiet deserted space of the lobby. Mary sighed and looked around at all the fancy things when they stopped inside. It wasn't her house but it certainly was nice in here. A bar was listed, a huge lobby, and a few other people standing around in government outfits eyeing them when they stepped inside.

Mary turned to Patricia anxiously checking her stuff and asked, "How you doin'?"

Patricia looked up to her and deadpanned, "We're about to talk to aliens, to actually have a conversation and you ask how am I doing?"

"Yeah, you're right. I should know better, you're obviously freaking out."

"I'm not freaking out, I'm—"

"Hello." They both faced forward again to face a bunch of guys and gals from the FBI and the CIA. And the first person they saw was a mixed woman with long brown curly hair and a slim body figure. She reached out to shake Patricia's hand and greet, "I'm Officer Sierra Donnel with the CIA, we're pleased to meet you. Patricia right?"

Patricia anxiously shook her hand. It nearly took Donnel's arm off. "Yes, I'm Patricia."

Once the blood came rushing back into her hand, Donnel withdrew it and stated, "We've been briefed on the event that transpired yesterday. Apparently, they want to speak to you for some odd reason. Have you ever had any contact with them before in your life?"

"Absolutely not."

"Alright then. So since you're literally walking into unknown territory, we're required to put a bulletproof vest on you. Just precautions. We have no idea who or what this rep is. So safety is our number one priority for you. Inside of the vest will be a microphone and receiver so we can get an input too. So stand still please."

Matthews edged out of the line of agents holding a bulletproof vest in one hand, and a helmet in the other. "Spread your arms out please," he ordered.

Mary took her stuff and held onto it while they did the dress up. She looked so funny like that. So small but dressed for war. It was like that movie she couldn't place at the moment. After she was finished playing dress up, Mary handed the stuff back to her and stated, "You're ready for a fight?"

Patricia held her books to her protected chest and answered, "There will be no fight. Let's just get this done so we can wrap all of this craziness up."

When they walked into the stadium, they had no idea Star was already waiting for them. Just like Hay-Lin said, she was "Friendly Star" now. Instead of anything solid, she went through her closet back home and pulled out a red sundress that had a bunch of dangling gems sewn in. Sparkling like sea water. Then she grabbed her staff and the case she carried it in that went around her back. She was never too careful. And if Special Agents Donnel and Matthews were there, then a weapon was required. And transportation.

When she went to the stables, she skipped right up to Merci. Who obviously didn't recognize her since she reared up and whinnied loud and proud. It took a moment to calm her down, but when she did, Star sliced open a rift and led her and herself back out into the stadium out of sight. All the lights were off save for the one trained on the table where Patricia was sitting, and all movement was silent.

At the main entrance a tent was setup where military, CIA, and FBI were situated, going over the feed the cameras were giving them. There was one from the ceiling and other angles. Even one zoomed in on Patricia who was clearly shaking in her seat.

Donnel shared a look of uncertainty with Matthews then with one of the officers standing on their right who accompanied them here. "Anything?"

He reached up to his radio lying on his chest and relayed, "All units, report?"

A loud whinny echoed around the stadium for a moment, putting them on edge. Right before the reddest horse they've ever seen jumped out of a red portal that appeared a few feet away from the table.

Patricia screamed and fell out of her chair when it came up to her, falling flat on the grass. Donnel and the others stood up and grabbed their guns before a childlike voice ordered, "Markee, Merci!"

Star jumped off Merci's back and walked around her to Merci's muzzle. She was nudging Patricia's face and blowing air. It would have been a little uncomfortable if she wasn't laughing. "Oh my god, a horsie!" She squealed.

"Yes, this is Merci." Star grabbed Merci's muzzle and turned her to face her. Getting licks on her... Everything. "Ack! Chee, Merci! Good girl! You know what this calls for, right?" She reached behind her back and whipped out an orange. She usually goes nuts for that. And she did. She reared up and whinnied her head off. Then landed, plucked the orange out of her hand, and walked away from them. Mission accomplished? Now she could relax.

Star just shook her head at her and said, "Sometimes, I wonder if she is sensitive to the present."

Patricia got back to her feet and assessed everything currently happening. First off there was a... Little girl here that rode a horse through that same red rip that dark entity disappeared through yesterday. "Uhh... Hi," Patricia greeted.

Star smiled at her and replied, "Hello. Are you the person I'm supposed to meet?" Star already knew about her, but she had to play stupid as well.

Patricia gulped and eyed the long silver stick poking out from behind her back. "Er... Y-Yes. I am assuming you're the representative?"

"I am she. I see a table is prepared." Star floated off her feet over to the other side of the table and felt along the smooth reflective wood. Clean and polished. She used her magic to grab the plastic chair and pulled it out to take a seat. Patricia was clearly hesitant but she copied her from across. She was nervous. Scared. Maybe even pooping her pants.

Star smiled at her with one eye and reassured, "I'm not going to hurt you. You can relax. I only have my staff as a precaution in case I am attacked."

"Does that happen often?" Patricia inquired. It was hard to believe this little girl was attacked.

Star honestly answered, "In my line of work, every day. Now let's get to business. Recently, the people I work for has discovered portals popping up in and outside of my home. As well as many others. So my people and myself followed their source through the veil to Earth, a realm that Kandrakar has protected through the ages, since the beginning of time from evil beings."

Patricia flipped open her notebook and started writing a few things. Whoever this girl was, she knew her stuff. She glanced up at her from her notes and asked, "So... Veil?"

Star turned her body and eyed the military sitting nearby. Especially the CIA Special Agents sitting over there watching closely. Silently. "Let me ask my own question. What do you see in front of you?"

Is this some kind of riddle? Patricia answered, "I see... You, a sports field... Guys with guns."

"Correct. But there are also things here you do not see. Thanks to the veil. The veil is what protects you. It's what keeps creatures wishing to spread their evil to different worlds, different lands, different people back and away." Star leaned in and broke it down into one sentence. "The veil is the cover keeping you from seeing what you want to see. And from... What you keep referring to us as."

Patricia gasped and quickly replied, "The veil is invisible matter? Like... Like a doorway to another dimension!"

Star sat back and snapped her finger at her. "Correct. You're smart, kid."

"I'm thirty one."

"As am I. You won't believe it though. Let's continue. In the past, the veil was non existent. It never existed, all dimensions flourished with each other. But when a great evil rose the veil was created. One world was already infected, they didn't need more. So the world was isolated, along with many more. But... They needed these worlds. So a group of people known as Guardians were created and given powers to find and defeat this evil. Earth." Star reached down and scooped up a pile of dirt that she dropped on the table. Then touched with her right index finger.

A white Rose slowly grew out of it, astounding Patricia. She adjusted her glasses and leaned in to get a closer look at the plant as it grew. Then Star plucked it out of the soil and shot it into Patricia's hair.

Next up, "Water." She raised her palm and created a slowly swirling ball of water from the air. Slowly twirling above her hand.

"Incredible," Patricia whispered. There was no way other worlds had this and they didn't!

"Fire." Star pointed her left index at the water and hit it with a "blowtorch." Turning it into steam. "Air." The steam blew out from in front of Patricia's frozen moisturized surprised face. "And finally..."

Patricia quickly interrupted, "Wait, there's another?"

"Yes, there is. Quintessence." Star raised her arm out across the table in front of Patricia's form. Lightning slowly crawled forward and danced in her palm. Patricia looked like she just witnessed cancer be cured. Star watched it move and said, "With these powers, the Guardians of the Veil, or the Infinite Dimensions were able to keep back the worst of evil. The Guardians are the best soldiers you will ever be able to meet. But hope you don't meet them."

Another attention grabber. Patricia quickly added to her notes and asked, "Why?"

"The only reason the Guardians would return is for law enforcement. And as of this moment, you humans are breaking a very important law. Never ever cross the veil without permission. You see, over the years of constant evil, the veil is beginning to break down. It's fragile thanks to portals that remain open and to those that travel through it. And if it goes out completely, all the dimensions will collide and everyone will die. Our knowledge of this world indicates that this... GU LABS is voluntarily opening these portals for money."

Patricia tapped her pen against her chin while her eyes stayed on Star's very red one. The other was more than likely hidden behind her hair. "So if the portals remain open, than they cause damage to the veil."

"Yes."

"So what if we just open and close them back?"

"No, close them permanently. There will be no unauthorized portal openings on this world. If we see another one, we will destroy them and any other attempt."

Patricia sighed and pleaded, "So there's nothing we can do to make the GU Portals legal?"

"Unless you want a fiery end with planets crashing into planets, I suggest you do nothing. And leave it be. This is one part of the future you cannot make. Traveling through time and space have consequences too. And... I am sure your boss knows of this."

Donnel shared a slow look with her colleagues behind the camera and audio feeds. Patricia asked, "What are you talking about?"

Star just shook her head and answered, "Do not worry about it. Just know that if those portals don't go down, you risk the lives of everyone around you. The ones you can see. And the ones you can't."

Patricia decided to test her knowledge. She knew a lot about this stuff apparently. She leaned in and asked, "So how many worlds are there that we can't see?"

"There is no exact number. But I do know ten off the top of my head on a need to know basis."

"Do you know the Guardians personally?"

"Yes, I do. But that is also need to know. But I'm warning you now. So tell your friends on the other end of the microphone you're hiding in your vest that it's better to follow the rules. Or there will be actions taken to make it happen."

Patricia sighed and dropped her own little questionnaire. It wasn't helping her get out of here. She stroked her face and asked, "What else should I know?"

Star raised her hand over the soil and stole the moisture out. Creating dry dirt she brushed off the table. "Well... Apart from what the veil is, everything else you may keep. But know this." Star put her fingers to her mouth and whistled.

Merci lifted her head from the ground and immediately stood up. Then trotted over to Star. She hovered out of her seat and settled down onto the back of Merci. Gripping her mane, she looked down to Patricia and added, "Everything that looks good for you can actually kill you. I have seen it happen. Tell your superiors to make the right choice. Because hundreds of trillions of lives depend on it."

With that, Merci reared up and took off for the side. Star sent a bolt of raw Quintessence into the upcoming space and created a rift she and Merci jumped through. Patricia swore she saw a castle somewhere on the other side right before it shut. All of this was really happening. She saw it, the TV crews saw it, the military saw it, everyone saw it.

Except Doctor Matthews. The brain behind the GU Portals. He was located in an enclosed location, surrounded by the darkness and the visuals he had displayed on the many HDMI monitors setup. Of the documents in the past. Of the Guardians. They were onto him. They were onto his plan. And if they had their chance, he'd be going down as soon as they could get to him. Which wouldn't take too long the second they did.

But he had his weapons ready. Matthews glanced behind him at the steel door. A faint blue light was escaping through it. The tool to finally finalize the mission. But these Guardians were in the way. Matthews was smart though, he knew they were actively looking for him. They were tackling three things at once:

Let Earth know about the Guardians, shutting down his portals, and putting him under arrest. But the girl on the screen was right about one thing for him: Traveling through time and space have consequences too. For both sides. One was meddling in the other's business. And they had to go.

He scrolled past the images of multiple Guardians he's recorded throughout his life. All arranged in chronological order. The most recent were the ones the FBI managed to catch on Camera. Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, Melissa Cordeau, and Hay-Lin. And... Will Vandom? Six Guardians? Matthews sat back and hummed at the image of Wilhelmina Vandom. Actually... He directed his sights back to the image the news was playing back.

Now that the event was over, they were doing playbacks of everything. They even showed a clip of the "Unknown Visitor."

Matthews grew an evil grin on his face as he eyed her. "So... They're back and among us," he whispered. He froze the image of Will and stared long and hard at it. "I know you're coming for me. So... I'll be waiting for you... Guardian."


	42. Aftermath

**Aftermath**

Will wasn't joking about the trek through the woods. It was dark and wet. Foggy, and strange. Just like the days when Phobos was in reign, now that Elyon thought about it.

She, along with a contingent of thirty soldiers, were heading North for Northton. Glint wouldn't be back to Meridian for another few days. And this could not wait.

This newspaper clipping in the hand of one of Elyon's soldiers showed the face of Doctor Matthews. But Elyon knew for a fact that he was not from Earth. If Star said she saw his face off Earth, then she definitely did. But she was sure they were all in sync on the same thought:

This guy was bad news.

All too soon, the gates Star described as the protection for Northton was in sight. Steel and guarded. Caleb grabbed the reigns for the Queen's horse and yelled, "Slow speed!" Their group slowed while a squad of Northton's soldiers walked out of the gate keeping them at bay.

Caleb handed the reigns of Queen Elyon's horse to one of his own men. Then quickly slid off, leaving them to secure her. They knew only small things about this place. Allies, yes. But not much beyond that.

Caleb approached an approaching captain and presented the clipping. "We are here to gain information!" He yelled. "On this man!"

The soldier he was talking to took the document and looked it over. The title of the clipping was what really caught his eye. "Doctor Matthews Creates Portals!" No wonder Meridian was involved.

He nodded then shot his hand up behind him. "Open the gates! Supply Queen Elyon an escort to the castle and summon the King and Queen!"

~TLO~

The networks were a mess. Scientists, doctors, theorists, every large headed person in the scientist community were going haywire. An hour after the meeting, Patricia's Notes were put out there. The portals were creating wormholes through a dimensional protective barrier, endangering them all. Pictures of Star flying out of the portal were mass pressed and posted online. And Doctor Samuel was asked questions.

The second he was outside TechCom, many people were questioning the required tactics used to open the portals. According to the playback footage, the teenager on the screen merely shot her hand forward to create one while a bunch of technology here was used and operated for more than ten minutes. "Warming up," he called it.

Multiple representatives from college laboratories were taking different sides already. One was to continue making the portals and learn through trial and error. Others were saying don't risk it. Aliens literally noticed it and warned them about the potential danger. Many were taking side two.

While Matthews was escorted back home in an Escalade between two others, his thoughts moved back to the Guardians. The Government here were going to make him shut down those portals and discontinue the project. That was inevitable.

But what they didn't see they couldn't stop. Quite.

On the sunny streets of Heatherfield, shadowed by the looming skyscrapers, many people stared at televisions and had their own opinions. Star was one of them. Disguised in her own special way. After she dropped Merci off and praised her for a job well done, she stepped back onto Earth and observed the aftermath. No chaos. Not yet anyway. Everyone were calm.

But this had blown up pretty quickly. The United States Department of Sciences were already on the screen telling the world of a possible executive order to cease all light generated particle projects. Anything using more power than a standard X-ray machine had to go off until otherwise stated.

"Jeez," Star pinged. She just shook her head. "Gone for two hours and this happens." She turned and walked away from the shop hosting a television in the window and adjusted her red hair.

Taranee was doing her own research despite Will's reluctance in her old room when she got the ping. She was alone at the moment. It was quiet and silent. The sun's rays were bathing her small desk used to hold her projects and homework in the past, but now served as an office for her own projects. She smirked and replied, "They're just a little freaked, they'll be okay."

A knock on her door brought her attention to the right, where her mother stood in the doorway. Holding a face of unease with something behind her back. "So uhhh," she started off. "I know you may be a little busy investigating..."

Taranee denied that with a shake of her head. "Not really. I'm mostly just focusing on what Doctor Matthews has as of right now. But before we start making assumptions of his reasons for making them, we need to know his background. So until we learn that, we're just gathering potential evidence. And waiting for a decision from the Government about these portals."

"Well... Okay."

"And yes. If they choose not to close, we will crash them. We will crash, and we will smash. Now what's up, mom? You're acting... Strange."

Despite Taranee's honesty to causing property violations, Theresa walked into the room and smiled innocently. "Well... Ever since your brother got engaged and had a little girl, we decided we'd have a Girl's Day Out whenever possible."

Her hand left her back and held out to Taranee... Slips of paper? Taranee grabbed one and asked, "Uhh... What is this?"

"A ticket to a movie with us."

"...oh." A movie. It's been years since she's watched a movie.

Theresa got the feeling she was missing something. She stroked her short blue hair and asked, "Do you... Not like it? I mean, we can always do something else—"

"No, no, it's just... I usually don't do anything without one of the girls. After we left Earth, we sort of... Got addicted to each other." Addicted was an understatement.

Theresa smirked and crossed her arms with a tease in her mind. "You mean like Hay-Lin? I saw you two frenching in the backyard yesterday."

She saw them? Oh jeez! Taranee blushed and squeezed her eyes shut. "Ugh, mom! Come on, way to spy on us!" The thought of someone spying on her, let alone her mother... Ugh.

"What? You weren't very discreet about it, you were in the backyard of all places. Back to the subject, it's a good thing I have a second one then." She dropped the other ticket into Taranee's hand and ordered, "Bring a friend."

Taranee stared at the ticket with her mind scrambling to find potential candidates. Being aligned in Kandrakar's defense wasn't really a thing that allowed you to make friends. So one of the Guardians would have to do. And Taranee knew just who.

She glanced up to her mom with a small smile. "I know just who to bring. She's been super stressed lately over everything. And to be honest she works twice as hard as us. So a relaxing moment is required for her." Taranee stood up and made a quick ping, demanding attention from someone who's probably been getting them all day. Then walked past her mother. "When are we leaving?"

Theresa followed her out into the hall and answered, "In a few minutes. The movie starts at two. That gives us time for lunch. Maybe they could meet us on the way."

Taranee doubled down the stairs in her strange dress and greeted Matira and Tara on the couch. "Hey, girls."

They looked over their shoulders while she moved for the front door. But it wasn't time to go yet. Theresa called, "Sweetheart, hold on, not yet!"

"I know!" She grabbed the handle and pulled the door open for Star on the other side. She was holding up a fist preparing to knock on the other side with a bland cold expression. "I was letting in a friend."

Star was wearing a tight pair of blue jeans and a crop top that held a frog on it. Her red hair was draped over her front. Covering her breasts and stopping at her knees. Taranee delivered a questioning stare. Star said, "I can't exactly walk out here with my earlier wear. Especially since I'm so..."

"True. Come in." Star walked past her into the house and looked around. Everything was fresh and clean. Even the air smelled of... Children? Star poked her head into the living room and eyed the females staring back. They were just as confused as to who this is.

Taranee came in to save their minds though. Smiling, Taranee pointed to Star and introduced, "Mom, you know Will."

Theresa eyed "Will" and then back up to Taranee. "Will? As in Will Vandom? It's hard to remember your old friends, but I'm sure your friends are supposed to be in their _thirties_ now."

"She's immortal."

"Mmm. The same girl who nearly killed everyone. And the source of all these problems." Theresa crossed her arms and glared down to her with distrust.

Taranee placed her hands on her hips and scolded, "Mom! Will is a much better person now, it's been a decade since all of that!"

"I know dear, but some old scars hardly heal."

Star just shrugged it off and continued looking around Taranee's. Have they ever been here before? She asked, "So why am I here? What is this research we're conducting?"

Taranee walked behind Star and placed her hands on her shoulders. Grinning. Star knew right then and there something was up. "We are researching a query: How long does it take to put a smile on Star's cranky little baby face? Without violence or Melissa?"

Mortified, Star inquired, "What?! Taranee we have no time for games! We have to grab Matthews by the throat and throw him behind bars!"

"And we will. But we don't need you passing out in the process. So take some time off, kid!"

"I am thirty-one!"

In a few minutes, Star was sulking on the sidewalk in an urban shop next to Taranee walking. This area existed on Hootakah, but they were more... Advanced. A bunch of restaurants, a giant water fountain, people eating, sunny day. Tara was licking away at an ice cream cone her mother had bought her. At least she's having fun. She reminded Star of Sarah when she was much younger.

Taranee noticed Star's blank stare and asked, "What's up? You have that look." They stopped at the water fountain that distorted their reflections so Taranee could flip a penny she found inside.

Star didn't want to tell her about this. Because she wasn't sure it was going to happen. But looking at little Tara gave her that push. Eyes on the water, Star crossed her arms and answered, "Well... I had a conversation with Melissa yesterday about our Guardianship. I told her... How I wanted to start a family with her."

That was news. Taranee gasped and asked, "Whoa, really? Wow, I never would have known you like children."

"Well I raised Sarah."

"True. Here, Tara. Why don't you try it?" Taranee held out a penny and placed it in her Niece's hand. She stared at it for a second. Then just threw it into the water. Will silently laughed at her innocence with the other women. At least she had the basics down.

"STOP! THIEF!" The party of five turned around and witnessed a man run out of a store booking it for the other side. The shopkeeper, a woman in her late fifties pointed at him and yelled, "Jewelry thief!"

Well that won't do. Star and Taranee looked at each other before Taranee shrugged. "Go ahead. You're better at it."

Star grinned and stretched herself out for some exercise. Touching her toes, stretching her back and doing jumping jacks. Even twisting her shape that made Taranee roll her eyes and call her a show off. Then sprinted around the fountain and took chase. Star was a fast runner. A really fast runner. The thief was fast too. But not like Star. "Halt! Drop the goods, mole rat!" She yelled.

The guy looked over his shoulder and blanched at the girl running after him. She would have a hard time following. So he assumed. He turned left and ran into a crowded shopping center next door. Star followed along shortly after and slid to a stop to look around. He's smart. But this tactic only works on those on the ground.

Star jumped up onto a nearby trash dumpster. Then onto the wall and off onto a hanging ladder behind her. She quickly climbed it and hopped onto the stone roof of this building.

If this man was smart, he'd start walking with the crowd. Leaving him invisible. So Star approached the edge of the building and eyed the crowd. It wasn't as if everyone here were shoulder to shoulder. But it was certainly a noted number more than the other location.

She smoldered and glanced around. If he was walking with these people then... There. He was on the sidelines stashing something else in his bag. Then he walked away and... Snatched a purse out of a woman's hands. Jeez, he's a bold one. And definitely desperate. But Star was even more bold.

She stepped back and ran forward to jump off the ledge. Flying off the roof for the car beneath her. She landed on the hood and flipped off, triggering its alarm. Then booked after him again. "Stop running!" She warned. But he continued running for it. Star zoomed past the woman whom's purse was snatched calling the police. Then reached behind her and into her rear pocket for her slinger.

"This better work," she muttered. Then spun it over her head like a lasso and threw it. It went up into the air and orbited around. Flying straight into the thief's legs. Tied up, he tripped and rolled over the ground grunting. Now he was scared of that girl running straight for him.

He worked the rope but found it pointless. Especially when she grabbed him by the shirt and hefted him up to her face. "Come on, buddy! You're done!"

Star turned around and twisted his arm behind his back. Then led him back towards the police officers who just arrived on the scene. Mission accomplished. That was a much needed workout.

~TLO~

It would be a few hours in before Elyon came back to Earth with the results they needed about "Samuel Matthews." Leaving the Guardians with Earth's issue: Disable the portals, or keep them and risk a bunch of aliens flying around destroying them, and the safety of themselves. It was a no brainer. But based off these news reports, people were turning it into a big deal.

Cornelia, Melissa and Irma were walking around Heatherfield's mall with a pen and notepad. Littered with words. A letter. A warning. They already had the location of these portals, but there were so much more across the planet. A ping from Star told them she could blow them up all at the same time. All over the planet. They just needed to be activated and controlled by her. They already had the device used to supply it. They could easily figure out how to use it. They just had to leave a note. A warning. To push them to deactivate the portals.

The mall wasn't too crowded today. If at all. But Star's message definitely reached ears. Out of curiosity, Melissa pinged, "Status, Hay?"

"You have a ten minute window before the cameras start running again." Hay-Lin was in the security office, nudging one out of the three sleeping security guards. The cameras were going through a "reset," giving the Guardians time.

Melissa and Cornelia eyed the GU LABS main store. Running with thick security while a few were inside talking. Even police were walking the beat every few minutes. The Guardians ducked out of sight for a moment to do their thing. Cornelia ripped the note off the pad and passed it to Irma. She poked a small hole in it and sewn a string through that she tied around a small arrow. Then it was passed to Melissa, who immediately turned herself and it invisible.

"We're ready," she pinged. Then walked out of place and pulled a small bow out from the back of her shirt.

"Eight minutes."

Melissa raised the bow and aimed the arrow. She was cautious. Quiet. Ignorant of those unaware around them. Unafraid. She squeezed one eye shut and adjusted the bow on her target. Then let it fly. It zipped over the gray space over the lowest floor. Then straight through the glass of one of GU LABS' many windows, creating a medium sized hole before embedding itself in the wall behind the register.

She lowered the arrow and watched when someone called out from inside the store. "Mission accomplished. Let's go."

While the police moved in, the Guardians moved out. Hay-Lin opened a portal for them inside for the security office. The Guards were still slumped in their seats when they arrived, clonked out. Whether Hay-Lin hit them hard or whatever, they were out cold. Cornelia even poked one's cheek. He didn't even stir. Melissa whistled and asked, "Jeez, what did you do, Hay?"

"I hit them. They didn't even see me. Let's go." She raised the Heart and opened another spinning blue portal. Then they were gone. Let the Security Guards handle those impending headaches they would be having in a few minutes on their own.

~TLO~

Theresa had never seen any of the Guardians in action before. But if Will were any indication, then Taranee had some impressive tricks up her sleeves.

All the police needed from Star was an anonymous statement. Then they let her go, despite the clear assault she did on this guy. Either they let her go because she helped return jewelry, a purse, and some buskin's tip money, or she did some of that Guardian stuff that probably involved mental magic.

Either way, the movies were a few feet away.

Taranee and Star just stood to the side out of everyone's way and let the natives here choose their food when they stepped inside the theater. They had no idea what was good anyway. Star just crossed her arms and eyed the environment when Hay-Lin pinged, "Message delivered. Girls, what do you have on Doctor Matthews?"

"He's a tricky one." Taranee's eyes were trained on her mother grabbing candy and popcorn. But her mind was on their conversation. "Based off of Star and I's combined findings, Doctor Matthews was a NASA Scientist twenty years ago from our current date. Seventeen years ago, he developed a computer operating system for mobile devices and sold them to a company for a hefty price of fourteen billion."

Star weighed in and added, "That money was then used to buy scientific equipment for what was next utilized to 'begin changing transportation.'"

Taranee's family walked back over when Melissa piped in, "He was developing GU Portals."

"Which means he has a lab somewhere. We need to find that lab. From there, we can get even more info."

They were distracted when Tara grabbed Taranee's hand and excitedly pulled her along. "Stop staring, Aunt Taranee!" She scolded. "We're going to miss it!"

Star just sighed and followed after them while she continued her mental meeting. "Queen Elyon should have some type of information for us on this guy soon. Keep an eye out for her."

"Star." Star glanced to her right at an adult version of their queen friend. Wearing a pair of blue jeans and sporting a brown t-shirt with a turtle on the front. Of all things. Star also guessed her hair was inside the shirt. Given how the rings at the ends of those long ponytails were creating a shape at her hips.

"Nevermind. I found her." Star stopped and turned to smirk at her. And actually speak. "You're pretty silent."

"Got it from the best." After a wink, Elyon grabbed her left hand and slapped a scroll into it. "Everything on this guy is right here. You were right. He's from Northton. And even the children have bad things to say about this guy."

Star looked down at the scroll then glanced back up at Elyon. "How bad are we talking?"

"Bad as in... He's fucking insane."

And that was the first time anyone has ever heard Elyon curse. This scroll must've held some seriously bad mojo.

She nodded and began the walk back into the theater. "I'll tell the girls. Have Himerish know we're onto this guy."

"He's holding no doubts." Then Elyon turned and walked for the doors to the museum. Star admired her walk. Elegant, regal. Her parents would be proud, were they still alive.

After she walked from view, Star gripped the scroll and headed for the theater. The news had arrived.


	43. Capture

**Capture**

Tara was into things that involved dolls and romance. Their little family was situated near the front row of this darkened theater where they could see without the thought that their sights would be blocked. Which apparently was a common trait among Earth. It's been so long since they've been here that the Guardians almost forgot how Tax worked. Or anything really. Taranee sat next to Tara's left in the middle of them while on her right was an empty seat for Star.

Speaking of which, where was she? While the trailers played Taranee looked around right when Star dropped down into her saved seat in between her and Theresa. And dropped a scroll into her lap. "Package retrieved. Let's break it open," she pinged.

Taranee knew the drill. The information in here was classified and had a seal over it made of really thick candle wax. A lot more than usual. She placed her hand over it that made it flash for not even half a second. Then removed her hand to show the melted wax. She swiftly unrolled it and read it over their minds. "Name? Joalee Marinah. Native resident to Northton and... legendary escaped convict."

"Well..." Cornelia groaned. "That's interesting."

"Definitely. Five foot ten, caucasian male, and doesn't take no for an answer. Was arrested twenty years ago by Renegades of Kandrakar at the age of twenty-three."

Irma pinged, "What are Renegades?"

Star leaned back in her seat and answered, "The Renegades of Kandrakar are volunteers. Sort of like Community Watch with more authority and permissions. You rarely hear about them but they're around when we're not. What for?"

"He... Boom. He created a device that managed to take control of the veil. But it didn't really do anything but connect to it, so Kandrakar noticed and grabbed him before anything else happened. His crimes don't end there though. Before that, he was wanted for interrogating knowledgeable persons on the veil through... Torture."

"Elyon did say he was fucking crazy."

"She hangs around you too much. They never talked and were left for dead. He was charged for eight counts of torture, eight counts of murder, and tampering with the veil. He was sentenced to two hundred years in a Metamoor prison."

Melissa assumed, "But he escaped I take it."

"Not exactly. Someone let him out. It was believed to be under blackmail to a guard. After that, not a peep. And it doesn't end there. Shortly after his escape, many people stepped forward from all over the veil and admitted to working for him under blackmail."

"Sounds like he had a lot of dirt on people," Hay-Lin stated.

"Understatement. Three hundred people stepped forward. Managers, officials, those types. He was really good at uncovering secrets and getting people to listen to him, and talk if they knew something. Then it ends there."

Star sighed and stroked her face. She was already stressed out. Her red hair couldn't get anymore frizzled. She pinged, "So he's up to it again. But unlike last time, he's noticed the error of his ways."

Melissa queried, "And what were these 'errors?' Any theorized changes?"

"Not sure. But if I had to hazard a guess, his past device wasn't strong enough. He needs more power. How did he grab ahold of the veil the first time?"

Star shook her head and answered, "The same way he's opening these portals. With whatever the hell that purple stuff is. We need to figure it out as soon as possible. The sooner we get ahold of that, the sooner we can shut this down and go home."

Melissa asked, "And his... Workers?"

"No idea. But we'll figure it out soon. Until then, I'm enjoying a romantic cartoon."

~TLO~

They were onto him. They were onto him and he knew it. Samuel Matthews' desk in TechCom wasn't like any other desk. His office desk was upstairs. But he wasn't upstairs. Not today. Today he was doing business downstairs. Way underneath that same tall spire that was the center of the city.

His laboratory. It only held two rooms with steel floors that covered the stone underneath. His camera room. A darkened closet-like space that held only a desk, computers and multiple monitors. Broadcasting camera feeds of Heatherfield. He had access to every single camera out there. And his eyes were trained on them. Not the large device behind the double doors nearby. A device similar to a crown with a single spire in the middle that towered way above him. Currently rotating, powered from the multiple extensions of cording attached to the walls and large containers of purple fluid. It hummed through the walls and his ears. It was going to be a really big deal when he activated it. He just needed the right moment. Such as getting these Guardians off of his back.

He was smoldering at the screens. Light blue eyes glaring at the live feed of Will Vandom and Taranee Cook walking out of the theater with a scroll. And Taranee's family. He could possibly take them out right now. But based off of Will's earlier performance he witnessed, he would have a lot of trouble doing so. But there will be a grand opportunity to grab her. When her guard is down.

Samuel's eyes glanced through the small glass windows on the two steel doors. Staring at the wall across from the machine. There it was. His tools of the trade. Not much really. Four chains connected to motors. Two on the walls, two on the floor. There was a thermostat in his current room connected to the "Unveiling Room." The machine in there gets really hot once at full speed and he'd have to turn it down well below freezing. That thermostat will have more of a use in the near future. As well as the multiple buckets of water near the engines.

He smirked and daydreamed of his sick plans. Then trained his eyes back on the monitors. Taranee Cook and Will Vandom were now leaving the theaters with that family. Good. Right on time. Samuel grabbed his corded phone and quickly dialed a number. Then put it up to his ear and waited for an answer. After a few seconds, the line picked up and someone answered, "Sierra Donnel."

"They're on their way back," he whispered. His eyes were burning into the next monitor when he pressed the spacebar. Freezing the play on Will Vandom. "Don't let me down."

"You got it." The line hung up next. So Doctor Matthews placed the phone down and trained his eyes back on Will Vandom. This was a really complex plan. But based off of everything he's seen so far, it was definitely going to work. He was a master at complexity. And this was child's play.

~TLO~

The walk home was filled with theories flying through the minds of the Guardians. Star's steps were eager. Anxious to get all of this over with. She was already sixteen once again, she didn't need to be weirded out even more. Being in Heatherfield around her much older brother and barely aging mother was already enough. Speaking of which, she had yet to speak with her.

"Hey." Star looked over and up to Taranee when the greeting reached her ears. She had a gentle smile on her face with hands clasped together in front of her. Eyeing Star down with kindness. "So... You wanted to settle down."

Star sighed and faced forward when they walked behind the others through the outdoor mall from earlier. Now peaceful and timid, a great contrast from earlier. Star nodded her head and whispered, "Yeah, I uhhh... I was hoping to raise a family with Melissa. She can continue being a Guardian while I take care of the baby since I have everyone's powers. It'd be kind of pointless to have me around if I can do what everyone else can, right? So... I thought it was a good plan. But now..."

Taranee replied enthusiastically, "Oh it still is. I support you. I just wanted to say... Good luck, you know? Raising a baby I'm sure is hard. And since you're..." Taranee motioned to Star's height and younger appearance, earning a much requested slap to the hand. "All of that, I know it's going to be hard for you. But just know you have our support. You really really deserve it."

Star smiled and blushed at her praise. It wasn't everyday someone else said that to her. Yeah Melissa says it all the time. But since all of them are rough and tumble girls, you don't hear it a lot from the others. Let alone anyone else but Queen Elyon. Star scoffed and whispered, "Thanks, Tara. How about you? I mean, I know what happened here so long ago had traumatized you, but—"

"Trauma? What trauma?" Taranee and Star bumped into Theresa's front when she whirled around at the term. She was actually listening in on their conversation when they were having it. And was quite surprised to hear about Will wanting a baby. Yeah, she was at that age when things were actually going to get pretty fulfilling, but a baby? From her? Eh, we'll see. But then the word traumatized came up for her daughter.

Taranee and and Star glanced at each other then back to Theresa for a moment. Star seethed through her teeth and answered, "Er uhhh, it's a sensitive topic we really don't like to talk about."

"No, it's..." Taranee sighed through her teeth and cast her eyes to the sidewalk she started walking again. "I think it's about time she knew about it at this point, Star."

Star looked around Theresa and asked, "Wait, really? You're going to talk about it? Now?"

Taranee looked over her shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, I mean... I'm already fifteen years behind. So why not?"

Star just bounced her eyebrows in a response. "Well in that case... I guess I'd better take my leave. Thank you so much for letting me come with you guys, it was fun."

Theresa nodded at Star and replied, "Anytime, Will. Be safe okay?"

"You too." With the scroll in hand, Star turned her body and walked into a deserted alley. With the thought that there were a lot of those around Heatherfield, she slashed open a rift and stepped through. Then closed it back, leaving Taranee with her mother and family.

Theresa focused back on her and instinctively grabbed her hand supportively. "Sweetheart?" She whispered. "What happened fifteen years ago?"

Taranee sighed and began walking again with her family. "Well, it was more like fifteen and a half. A few months before Will turned evil. I was invited to a Graduation Party and..."

~W.I.T.C.H.~

When Star rifted back in, she rifted into the Cordeau's backyard. The day was still alive, and everything was still bright and loud. Even though it was the afternoon, everyone was still active. Melissa was in the backyard playing basketball with her father, surprisingly winning. Well she was his height and moved much faster than he did.

With an idea in mind, Star ran forward when Melissa was about to take another shot. Then jumped up and snatched it out of her hand from behind.

Melissa eeped and whirled around at the same time she passed the ball to Samuel. He d finitely got the idea. So he took the shot and let it soar graciously into the net. He shot his hands up and announced, "Score! Yeah! Thanks, Will! I was losing badly."

Melissa's reaction was entirely different. She faced Star with her hands on her hips and scowled, "Hey, you're supposed to be on my team."

There were teams? Star shrugged and tossed her the scroll. "Yeah, but... Why not, right? I love your competitive nature."

Melissa couldn't deny that. Ever since they got married, they've always tried to outdo the other in something. And it usually ended in rough sex. Pushing naughty thoughts to the side, Melissa unrolled the scroll and looked everything over. "Yeah... This is our guy," she whispered. Then glanced up to Will and asked, "So what do we do about it?"

Star rifted around her to the ball and picked it up. Bouncing it, she answered, "Well... We wait for a bit until we are forced to make our move. I'm sure the others know he's trying to do it all over again with these portals. With, or without the Government's approval. And that means, we're breaking things anyway. So find his lab first or catch him in the act and take him to Kandrakar."

Will lifted her arms up and shot straight into the sky. She watched the ball fall through the net. I just realized how good I am at basketball, she thought.

Melissa nodded at Star's plan and tossed the scroll back to her with a smile. "Excellent. But first... I brought something back from the house I think our parents would enjoy very much."

That got Samuel's attention. He glanced up from his phone and asked, "Oh? And what would that be?"

Melissa skipped around her wife and up to her father to place her hand on his shoulders, grinning in glee."Our photo album of our past years. When we got married, live visuals of our memories, things like that. You wanna see me in a suit?"

Samuel blinked at them for a few seconds while he thought. Photo Album? Photo album?! He would never say no to that!

Next thing you know, someone was anxiously knocking on Susan's front door. Making her and Dean jump out of their skin from the kitchen table. Whoever that was, they had a strong knock. Dean stood up from the table and made way for the door before Star just pushed it open.

She walked in with Melissa holding hands, along with the Cordeaus. Smirking at her family, Star raised up a large black book with the letters C and W on the front. "You guys know what this is?"

William shook his head and answered, "No, what is it?"

Will grinned and sang, "This~!... Is our photo album."

Susan shot up so fast the chair nearly tilted onto the floor. "Photo album?!" She repeated.

Will nodded and skipped into the living room while Melissa answered, "Yeah. We have a lot of photos from the past fifteen years. Since Hootakah is just like Earth, we got our hands on a camera and took a lot of photos of us and the girls. Come check it out."

Melissa followed Will towards the couch with their parents hot on their trail. William wasn't really interested in photos. But he dropped his napkin on the empty plate he was eating from and followed after them. He was done with his dinner anyways. It made him wonder what kind of food Will and Melissa ate.

Susan slid into the empty space beside her daughter and eyed the book sitting on the table. Full of photographs. It was so thick that it couldn't contain all of them. Dean looked to Melissa and asked, "How many photos do you girls have?"

Melissa made a sound as if she were thinking with her mouth and answered, "Around two..."

"Hundred?"

"Thousand." She used air to flip the book open to the first page that held a bunch of moving photographs. Unlike regular photos, these photos were literally moving. Like small GIFs. The first one was of Melissa and Will inside a castle of some sort climbing over the back of that same girl that broke the minds of millions that she was an alien. Elyon was trying to get Will off her back, but was obviously having fun if that smile was anything to go by.

Melissa pointed at the next one which was a sneak of Irma having the opportunity to braid the off-gray hair of... A catwoman?! William pointed at her nad asked, "Uhhh, what is that?"

Will rolled her eyes playfully and answered, "That is Luba. One of the Higher heads in Kandrakar. She watches over the powers of the Guardians. Funfact? She and Irma aren't really nice to each other. You can only imagine what happened after this. Wanna see wedding pictures?"

"YES!" Susan yelled. "Where are those?"

Melissa and Star smiled at each other from Susan's obvious desperation. Then Star used her power over air to rapidly flip the pages to a specific bookmark. Then stopped the pages so everyone could fawn.

The wedding was held inside a lovely temple on Merina. It held friends and family members from all over. Kadma, some talking trees, the Council. Caleb and his friends, Sarah when she was much younger and still a brat, and Queen Elyon.

The two brides were in front of some guy in a white robe wearing white dresses. Well Will was wearing a dress. Melissa was wearing a clean white suit with a white necktie and a long white cape. Her long red hair was braided into a single red braid. But since the photo was taken from her left, her burn was still out of sight. Too bad for William.

Melissa said what seemed to be "I do" when the possible bishop asked. Will immediately followed after when she was too. Then the two kissed and sealed the deal.

Susan held a hand over her chest and tried to hold back those tears. She really really did. But a few drops escaped before she pulled her daughter into a hug and kiss on the cheek. "I'm proud of you," she whispered. "So proud, baby."

It was like Will could feel the pride flowing off of her. It was one of those feelings when you knew without a doubt that everything was going to be fine.

She peacefully leaned into her mother's shoulder and closed her eyes. Relishing in the love. That feeling she's wanted for so long. Then whispered, "Thanks, mom."

Susan kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Of course, little wings. Now about your hair—"

"Don't push it."

The fun times were interrupted when someone knocked on the door. Pulling attention away from pleasant moving memories to the dark and dirty present.

Susan sighed and was about to stand before Star grabbed her hand. "Wait," she whispered. Then listened to the air. It was creepily silent. Either this house had above standard insulation or there was something going on.

Star looked to Melissa who was just as confused as everyone else. Will usually gets like this when she forgets something. "What is it?" Melissa whispered.

Star raised her index finger to the roof and yelled, "Who is it?!" Then waited for a response.

"FBI, ma'am," someone replied. "We need to ask Ms. Susan Vandom some questions."

Star smirked and shook her head. "No they don't," she whispered. "They know we're here. And they have information we can use. So... Melissa, sit on the staircase. Mom, open the door when she does."

Star and Melissa stood up for their positions while Susan moved for the door. While Star walked, she literally winked out of sight. William growled through his teeth, "Ohhh, how I wish I could do that."

Once Melissa was in a relaxed position on the staircase with crossed arms, Susan unlocked the door. And there they stood. Donnel and Matthews in all their Special Agent glory. Matthews was smaller than Melissa's father. But he probably made up for it in speed.

When he spotted Melissa, he gestured at her and stated, "Well there's one of 'em. Hello, Ms. Vandom. We were going to ask if you knew where your neighbors were, but we found who we were looking for."

Donnel let herself in and marched right up to Melissa. "You have a lot to explain. You and your batch of runaways trying to get the better of us, time to go." Before Donnel could grab her, she suddenly seized up and slumped to the ground.

Shocked, Matthews turned and looked around right before he followed. Melissa just smiled and watched as they dropped. Right there in the living room floor at her feet.

The front door shut back before Star shimmered back into view glaring down at their backs. "Did they seriously think they could get us a second time and we wouldn't do anything about it? That was stupid. Let's check 'em."

Susan just covered her face when Star walked past to start it off. She groaned, "This is not happening right now."

Star playfully pushed her back and ordered, "Stand back citizen, this is government business."

"Uh huh."

Melissa began pulling Donnel's sports jacket off her arms. It was a bit of a struggle, but she managed to pull it off and start searching. William just shook his head and asked, "And why are we doing this to FBI agents?"

Star stopped patting down Matthews and hectically started digging in his pant pocket. "Because they're not agents," she answered. She pulled out a standard Motorola flip phone and flipped it open. Nothing. "What type of agent needs a burner phone? This guy has three phones on him. Why?" She reached into his coat and pulled out two more just like it.

Melissa shook her head and pulled out Donnel's "Badge." She flipped open the wallet and shook her head at the find. Nothing. No documents or anything. Needed more than just a badge on her and she didn't have it. And based off the one Star was holding, the same was for Matthews.

Star clicked her tongue and stated, "They work for our Good ol' Doctor friend. He knows we're here. Why else would these guys be at our old house when we went missing fifteen years ago? The case is cold and they should've been taken off. Not to mention they don't live in Heatherfield. Nowhere near it. He's looking for us. The crazy bastard."

Melissa stood up and asked, "How many underground guys you think he has?"

"I really don't care about them right now. With these guys we can find Doctor Matthews' lab. We're taking them to Meridian. Get the others while I start the move."

Susan moved for the kitchen and asked, "How are you getting rid of their car?"

"That is unfortunately going to Kandrakar too. We're erasing traces." Star slashed open a rift in front of the door. Then grabbed and hefted Donnel up onto her shoulder. "Melissa, Get Cornelia to grab the big one."

Star turned to the door and walked through the red rip in space back onto the Sandy Desert of Metamoor. The Guards at the gates sighed and were about to comment about her winning already before she said, "We need the interrogation room. Now."

"GUARDIAN... GUARDIANS AT THE GATES!" Just like usual, horns blare and the gates open, allowing Star access. She boldly walked past while Melissa and the others caught up.

Hay-Lin flew into Star's peripheral and lifted Matthews chin to look into his face. "Hey... Aren't these the—"

"Yep." The Guards standing at the prison doors immediately grabbed their handles and pulled them open. "These are the same guys from a decade and a half ago. And they work for the mad Doctor. So we're going to get some info out of 'em. The right way."


	44. First Attempt

**First Attempt**

The dripping of water was what greeted Sierra Donnel's ears when she roused awake. Her eyes slowly parted and her blurry sight trained on a dark blue coloring. The stone floor. Why does the back of her neck hurt?

She groaned and reached up to rub it. The action provided zero relief when the jingle—and weight—of chains reached her ears. Suddenly her neck wasn't hurting as much. She gasped and moved her arms down into sight below her. The world's largest steel chains covered her wrists. Fresh and new. They barely allowed her arms to move forward. Up, yes. But to the steel table in front of her, no.

She looked around the room to check her environment. She was definitely no longer in the Vandom residence. Instead, she was now in a cold stone box with no door, sitting in a chair with her own legs locked to the legs of it. There was literally no door or window. Just a stone box with a lantern above the table, providing as much light as possible in this stone prison.

As if she were trapped in a rock.

Where the hell was she? What happened? And... Where the hell were her phones?!

"I guess you're wondering where you are." Donnel gasped and trained her sights back onto the table. Directly opposite of her. On the other side were Star and Hay-Lin relaxing in two more chairs. Glaring at her. Hay-Lin was in her full blown Guardian form while Star stuck to her teenage redhead look. The same look she wore during the meeting at the stadium. A folder was now in the middle of the table with nothing on it. Just blank with papers stacked neatly inside of it.

Donnel glanced around and wondered how exactly did they get in here with no door before she demanded, "Who are you? Where am I? Where's my partner?"

Will immediately answered, " _We're_ the ones asking questions. You're in Metamoor Maximum Security Prison. In our favorite interrogation room. As for your partner..." Star and Hay-Lin shared a glance before she answered, "He wouldn't answer any questions. So... His lifetime was cut."

Donnel gasped and screamed, "WHAT?! WHAT THE **_HELL_** DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"

Her scream was ignored. "We're going to ask you a few questions," Hay-Lin stated. "And you are going to answer them. If you don't, we'll use more creative methods. Why are you working for David Matthews?"

Sierra sniffed away her tears with the thought that her partner for decades was killed and answered, "I-I don't—"

Will leaned forward in her chair and smoldered suspiciously at Sierra."We know. You work. For him." She threw her hand up and tossed Sierra's burner phones loudly onto the table. She trained her eyes on them before Will stated, "Burner phones are convenient so you can't be tracked considering there is no permanent number to trace. However they still have a hidden log of phone calls on them that I managed to get my hands on. Three phones all with the same single number who calls you. You received a call from someone in Heatherfield a few minutes before you came to my house. Who was it?"

Will Vandom. She was sitting directly in front of her. Holy shit. Sierra gulped and answered, "Uhhh... Um—"

"Was it Doctor Matthews?"

Sierra sighed and nodded her head. There was no point in hiding anymore. They had her on the first try.

Hay-Lin smirked and answered, "Do you know where his hideout is? His personal laboratory?"

Sierra glared and growled, "I'll never tell you."

Hay-Lin sighed and said, "We figured you'd say that." She reached down to the ground and grabbed something. A little black bag that she held up for her to see. Then tilted it over the table and poured out a few things.

One of them was a perfect Golden necklace with a few diamonds. Very expensive. As well as rings and other valuables. They had no idea what this stuff was. But Sierra definitely did.

It held a lot of sentimental value because she immediately yelled, "NO! OKAY, OKAY! Please, please don't do whatever it is you're going to do with that, those were my parents'."

Star picked up the necklace and held it out her way tauntingly. She asked, "Are you going to tell us? Because all of this stuff can still melt faster than butter."

"It's somewhere inside the tower, that's all I know," she quickly fibbed. "I swear. I don't know anything else about it."

Hay-Lin set the bag back down on the table and shared a glance with Star. A glance filled with the same thought they shared. Looks like it was in the one place they really didn't need to be in. The spire in the middle of the city. Star looked back to their little double agent and nodded. "Thank you, Sierra. Now you're going to be staying here for a little while with your partner. He's in his own cell upstairs."

Upstairs?! Sierra Donnel shot her head up and attempted to remind them, "WAIT! YOU SAID—"

"We'll leave the move to the Guards. Have a good day."

Then Star and Hay-Lin literally blinked out of existence. Along with what they brought with them as if they were never there. Sierra just stared at the spot they recently occupied with an expression of disbelief painted across her face. They used her own emotions against her to get her to talk.

"Those sneaky, little bitches," she groaned. They were good. She could admit it.

 ** _~TLO~_**

Even though the silver dragon was no longer in Heatherfield, the McDonald's that replaced the location still served as a good meeting point. Melissa, Taranee, Irma and Cornelia were leaning against its wall watching the events of the world pass. Cars on the busy shadowed streets, planes in the cloudless blue sky, birds settling into the many trees lining the sidewalk in front of them.

A sigh on Melissa's left made her direct her attention from the view to there. Star and Hay-Lin were back and taking up the same positions as they were. And they didn't look too happy. Star was wearing a red short-sleeved turtleneck with a pair of blue jeans and white Nikes. Accentuated with the necklace given to her for her sixteenth birthday. She motioned with her head upwards. "The tower. His lab's in there."

Hay-Lin walked over to Taranee and grabbed her hand. "This goes deep. He has a lab somewhere in the communications building. He probably bought it."

Cornelia shook her head and answered, "But what I don't get is _how_. There's no way he went to school."

Star shook her head side to side and replied, "Don't know, but my mom might. What'd you do with their car?"

Irma and Melissa looked at each other and shared a smirk. A knowing smirk. Irma looked back down to Star and answered, "Well little Will—" Star raised her palm up and created a fireball as a warning. "It's parked nice and comfortably at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. It'll never be found. No one expects a car to be miles from the coast of Heatherfield."

Jeez, that's something to gloat about. Yeah we just park the car in the ocean, no big. But it worked, so Star and Hay-Lin rolled with it. The latter sighed and coalesced with a simple nod. "Alright," Hay-Lin said. "We need to learn about the tower. Inside and out. One of us has to go in there and do a little recon. I motion Star."

Star gasped and swiveled on the ball of her feet with her fingers pointed up to Hay-Lin. "Whoa. Wait. Stop. Back up. Why?"

"Because your mom works there."

"Melissa's parents work there too, you know," Will deadpanned. "I think I've already done my deeds this time around, don't you think?"

"Of course. But we still need intel. And we all know you're better at obtaining it."

Either Will just didn't want to do it, or she was nervous about something. She had that look on her face. The look she makes when trying to make a hard decision. So Melissa grabbed Star's hand and volunteered, "I'll go. None of us have ever been in there and Will is the smallest person here now. If she goes in there, they're going to be asking if she's lost or something."

Star sighed and muttered, "You guys need to stop egging me about my size. I get that I'm stuck like this. No sex, Melissa."

No sex?! Melissa gasped loud and swiveled her body to face Will. "What?! Aw, come on, babe!"

Well this was awkward. Cornelia and Irma glanced up to each other then looked around. This may be normal for the lesbians of the group, but hearing it talked out loud was uncomfortable for those who didn't live that lifestyle.

Will crossed her arms and shook her head. "You're teasing me about my height. So no sex for the remainder of this mission."

Taranee tapped Star and Melissa's shoulders from behind. Then motioned with her head towards the guys nearby watching them close at the corner a few feet away from McDonald's. "Hey, tone it down," she whispered.

Star grinned and yelled, "What?! We're just a gang of lesbians loitering! What's the big deal?"

Cornelia closed her eyes and covered her mouth. "You're so immature," she grumbled.

Will shook her head and stated, "Melissa likes it." Then pulled her hand back and slapped her wife on the butt.

"Ugh! Will!"

"You know you do. So here's the plan. Melissa goes into the tower to get as much information as a worker with her mom and dad while we do some outside research. I'll be on a rooftop nearby in case there's any trouble. You know I'll never leave you in that danger hole alone."

Melissa sighed and looked to the rest of the girls. "Agreed?" She asked.

They shared looks of approval before replying at the same time, "Agreed."

"Good." Melissa pulled her hand back and spanked Will, who yelped in surprise. "That was payback, small stuff." Then took off running down the street. She knew what was coming next. Star did too. It was her.

"Oh no you don't!" Star yelled. Then booked it as fast as her small stature could carry her down the sidewalk behind Melissa. "You know I'll catch you! Get back here, Melissa!"

Irma and Cornelia just sighed and rolled their eyes. Taranee meanwhile smirked at Hay-Lin and whispered, "They have the right idea." Right before pulling her own hand back and sending it flying onto Hay-Lin's rear.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

While Will and Melissa were playing make up, Cornelia and Irma decided to play spy. With a small notepad in hand, they walked around Heatherfield and into a single warehouse store that held a bunch of TVs on convenient news channels. Covering the international debate to continue having these GU Portals running. It had become so big, it got in front of Congress. And fast.

Irma crossed her arms and sighed. Based on the way the world was acting someone was going to test the Guardians. She could feel it happen. America alone was testy. Everyone else just followed their example. She pinged with distaste, _Jeez. Just shut 'em down._

Star immediately came in and seethed through her teeth. _Yeah, you and I both know that it's an **unlikely** possibility._

Cornelia joined in on the conversation and stated, _Wasn't getting in front of the world_ **your** _plan?_

 _Yeah, but it was also the plan to get our little friend's attention. He definitely knows we're here._

 _So what is it you're trying to get out of this?_ Hay-Lin pinged. _Our job is to shut them down._

 _And we will. But we also have to make sure they never try this again. Weren't you girls afraid that someone else would? Well if they say no, then we'll give them a good reason to never test Kandrakar again. We're going to make sure this was a **one time** thing_.

Cornelia and Irma shared a look then focused back on the screens. It was a good plan. They had a window of a few hours to make a decision before they actually move in and start . . . shutting them down.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Will may be small and practically a teenager again. But Melissa knew her wife was actually over thirty years old. A liplock away from the public was something they both needed. The last time Will was in Melissa's bedroom was actually fifteen years ago. Nearly sixteen coming up.

Mom and Dad were downstairs and left them alone in Melissa's bedroom. They were old enough to hold responsibility. The sounds of playful giggles and lip smacks bounced off the walls with a source from the bed. Thankfully, dad was asleep on the couch. And this wasn't the first time mom was near lesbian sex.

She merely sighed and turned the volume up in her headphones. "Just like college."

The covers were old and a little dusty from many years of neglect like everything else here, but that didn't bother the two women underneath them. Will was basking in a pleasant afterglow from Melissa's way more than experienced hands on her chest while Melissa held her around her waist underneath facing the ceiling. The smell of sex wafted around the room. Sweat mixed with love, lust mixed with admiration and beauty.

Melissa took a deep breath of the long and rich red hair lying on her chest. The smell of flowers in a gracious meadow. "Mmm, you smell nice," she grumbled.

Will shifted her hands so they were underneath her arms to feeling Melissa's naked back and replied, "And you smell amazing."

"What happened to no sex?"

"I changed my mind when you smacked my butt again." Will shifted her head so she was staring up into Melissa's face with a smile. The smile that made the sun look like a dim light bulb.

Melissa reached up and gently pushed Will's hair to the side to show the burn. No matter how bad it was, she was still beautiful. No matter her age. Melissa grabbed both sides of Will's head and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. They touched heads then shared another tender smooch. "I love you, Wilhelmina," Melissa whispered.

"I love you too, Melissa," Will replied.

Now that they got that out of the way, there was one more thing she wanted to talk about. Melissa took a deep breath and asked, "Are you sure . . . About having a child together?" Will pulled back and sat into a position where she was straddling Melissa's waist. Melissa's hands gripped Will's hips but her eyes stayed on hers. Not on any of her nudity, her burns, her marks or tattoos of the symbols of the elements on her right arm. They were on her eyes.

Will took a deep breath and nodded her head. She answered in determination, "Yes. I want us to have a family together, Melissa. I want to have a daughter. I know we have a lot going on right now. But you could still be a Guardian while I take care of her."

Of course she would. Melissa smiled and suddenly said, "Yes."

Will blinked at her. Did she just say yes? ". . . Yes?" She repeated.

"Yes. You're right, I think we should start a family together." She reached up and stroked Will's hair to the side. "We're in our thirties, we're not getting any younger . . . Well I'm not." Will playfully slapped Melissa's exposed breast. "And we should actually take this further. So once this mission is over . . . We can look into it. Okay? I promise."

Will's hopeful expression turned from hopeful to clear excitement. She literally squealed and lunged at Melissa for another kiss. The same kiss that Melissa will never get tired of. She didn't have to say thank you or cry in happiness. Melissa already knew.

 _"Heads up, girls. The answer was no. Some people wanted to test the theory that 'Aliens are violent.'"_

Will and Melissa separated and quickly jumped out of bed. They knew the drill. There was trouble and they had to move. Will changed into Starfire while Melissa grabbed her clothes from the floor. Then once she straightened up burst into a fit of giggles at Will's state. Looks like Starfire was a teenager too. She still had the same black theme with bat wings, long black hair, and skintight suit with red eyes, but she was maybe five foot nine instead of her past look at six foot five.

Starfire crossed her arms and smoldered at Melissa with distaste. She loved Melissa, but right now... Star rolled her eyes while Melissa threw on a shirt and pinged, _"Where are we meeting?"_

 _"Back behind the mall. Who wants to do the honors?"_

Starfire slashed open a rift and suggested, _"We'll rock paper scissor it."_ Then jumped through and landed in the forestry with Melissa right behind her. A few seconds later, Hay-Lin, Irma, Taranee, and Cornelia jumped out of another one directly in front of them. They positioned themselves in front of different trees and looked at each other before Hay-Lin urgently debriefed them.

She crossed her arms and relayed, "'We will not be deterred nor bullied by the aliens from beyond on what we can do or what we can build.' Their words exactly."

Starfire rolled her eyes and smoothed her long hair into a much better shape and form. Then trained her eyes on the mall. Something was off here. There had to be a much bigger picture. But right now, they needed to tear these portals down.

"Alright, rock paper scissors." She held out her left hand with the palm up and hovered a fist with her right over it. The rest of them followed along and casted competitive glances. Over the years, chasing criminals usually ended up with them all at the same place at the exact same time. So to get the point, they had to battle in Rock Paper Scissors. The criminal they were chasing just didn't get up and sometimes voiced their thoughts that usually ended with them receiving a black eye. Such wonderful memories.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoe!" The first one out was Cornelia. Then Irma. Then Starfire. She was less than enthusiastic about it. After that it was Hay-Lin and Melissa. That left only Taranee.

She looked at her fist and smirked across to Starfire. She knew her well. She wanted to destroy the portals. "Sorry, Star," she sarcastically apologized. "This is my round."

Star grunted through her nose with crossed arms and requested, "Well do me a solid and break through the glass ceiling, okay?"

Hay-Lin shook her head and denied that order with a raised hand. "No, no smashing Earth's property. Just the portal. We'll infiltrate the building and see what we're working with. Let's move." Hay-Lin opened a portal and dashed in to get to the roof of the mall. Now they were in business. From here, they could see everything. But they could also be spotted from the police walking around below. They took a knee at the ledge and noted the high police presence. FBI and even a CIA task force leaning against their SUVs with tactile suits on. It was hot out here. Too hot for bulletproof vests. Oh well. They chose the hard way.

Starfire cleared her throat and suggested, "For your safety, Taranee, I think you should let me have this one."

Of course she'd suggest that. "No, Star."

"Because they have guns. And I'm literally the only here who can stop a bullet. You guys can have the ones out in the open while I take care of this on because you can get them from a far distance."

Hay-Lin brushed her blue hair out of the way and assessed the situation closer. Star was right. These guys had some serious weaponry. And the only one who was actually good at stopping bullets was Starfire. She could walk right past these guys and destroy the portal. Then be out of there.

She nodded and admitted, "She's right, T. We'll let Starfire have this one for your own safety. We'll take the rest of them. Starfire gets those indoors, we take the ones outside. Alright?"

Taranee sighed but nodded her head. These guys weren't playing around. But their strength relied on bullets. Starfire was the only one here who could stop those bullets in midair. Hay-Lin nodded to her then turned to Starfire. "Handle this," she ordered.

Oh yes! Starfire slowly grinned a grin that made the Guardians have flashbacks of when they first had to fight her. It was never a good sign. She slapped her hands together and whispered, "Time for a show." Then created the same orb of unstable Quintessence in between her hands that shuts down power.

 ** _W~I~T~C~H_**

Tom Lair knew the Government was making a mistake. But they were ordered to fulfill tasks. As the captain of the Heatherfield Police Department, he's seen a lot of things. Shootings, high speed chases, drugs, all types of things. And this is the first time he's seen so much task force in one place. The mall he was stationed in was closed until further notice. Wasn't the mall made for shopping?

All Captains were on the scene and looking things over through camera feeds. Including himself. Captain Lair was situated in a security office inside the mall watching the camera feeds with other officers. Nothing so far. The portal was up and running and—

"Power's been cut!" Someone shouted through the radio. Right before the surveillance room went dark.

He looked around from his sleepy state and shot up from his seat with a hand on his gun. He grabbed his radio and relayed, "Surveillance to perimeter, the power's out."

The word was out and the Guardians could see it. Melissa snapped her fingers and turned them all invisible so they could enjoy the show without being seen. The other portals could wait. Star was working.

The police down there were arming themselves. Grabbing rifles and other weapons and rushing towards the building while others stuck behind their cars watching everything. They would never see her coming. Well maybe they would.

Starfire loves dramatic entrances.

A red rift was slashed open in the middle of the parking lot away from the perimeter behind a bunch of suvs blocking the mall's entrances. The police quickly aimed, but didn't fire. Their breathing was deep and hectic. Anxiety threatening to pull the trigger way more than their minds.

But instead of Starfire, a young girl skipped out. Well Will skipped out. No Starfire. The same girl from before. The same girl from the stadium holding a staff. And she did not look happy. Heat waves traveled the concrete ground while she took each step towards the mall with an evil look in her eye. The front line didn't like that look.

A loudspeaker was raised to the mouth of one of the police officers. "Under the Law of the United States of America, you are to turn back—" Star lifted her hand to her neck and immediately changed into Starfire. Scowling at them. Then she jumped into the air and quickly soared to them. "Shit, everyone—" He never got a chance to finish his sentence.

Star reached one of the first SUVs and grabbed the bottom of it. Then yanked it up. The SUV flew up before Starfire whipped her hand to the left. This team of officers were forced out of their sight and rolled across the hot concrete ground. Then she did the same to the rest of the SUVs.

While chaos was raining down below Irma poked Melissa above and whispered, "Let's not make her mad, okay?"

"I thought we established that years ago."

Starfire walked past all the moaning and groaning police officers on the ground and onto the brick path leading up to the sliding doors. Flowers lined the path. But she wasn't around to take pictures. She was here to take down and eliminate.

She stopped at the sliding doors and groaned when they didn't slide open. Of course they'd try and lock her out. How genius.

Starfire pulled back her fist and sent the doors sailing into the mall with a force that sent the police waiting for her flying onto their backs with them. Then zoomed in before they could get up for the walkway where she would be able to see the portal. No need to stop for all of the police down there waiting for her to show her pretty little head.

Star jumped over the railing before the shots were fired and started slinging fireball after fireball. Captain Lair jumped for cover when a huge one soared straight past him and hit the portal. It left a good burn mark. and impact But it wasn't enough to take it down. Whoever this girl was had some serious skills. Did Irma know her?

Starfire jumped behind a booth and ducked down before the FBI's task team opened fire on her location. She just laid still while they sent bullet after bullet and waited for them to run out. Now that all the attention was on this location, she could grab them from behind. She discreetly slashed open a rift and ducked in and away from that location. So when they arrived like the Sergeant of the approaching team did, he'd hold up his fist, rush around the booth and . . . "She's gone!"

"Of course I am, slow pokes!" All eyes turned around to face Little Will hanging directly over the Portal with a huge fireball the size of a basketball in her right hand. The other was gripping a support beam directly over them in a "hanging-monkey" fashion.

She smiled at them and suggested, "You might want to duck. This is going to be loud." Then opened her hand and let the fireball plummet to the ground. Directly over the Portal.

Hay-Lin sighed and straightened up from her position over the glass ceiling. Then turned around and covered her ears like the rest of the Guardians. "I'm pretty sure I told her not to damage anything," she grumbled.

Taranee smirked before the explosion rattled the glass and their eardrums. Then stood up and gazed at the chaos the ledge of the building. She shook her head and said, "Yeah, you did. But Starfire is in her own lane. We're in ours. Besides, I think this got our message across." She motioned to all the flipped cars, fires, and clear destruction that littered the parking lot of Heatherfield's mall.

Well their message was now clear. They could make whatever they wanted to. As long as it didn't travel through their territory. And this was traveling through their territory. Hay-Lin's blonde hair waved with the wind. Her intense eyes trained on the police rushing out of the building shouting on their radios.

Hay raised her hand and ordered, "Melissa? Hit the middle of the city. Taranee? Beaches. Cornelia and Irma? Hit the industrial zones. These things are everywhere. If they try to stop you..." She straightened up and turned around to face the Guardians. "Then do what you have to do. I'll be with Star. Let's move."


End file.
